Resident Evil vs FFVII
by RenosEMR
Summary: Crossover as my Turks in Silent Hill one went well. Rufus and Tifa come across a new world where Leon and Ada get drawn into a race to save Rufus from the T-Virus.
1. Chapter 1

**Resident Evil FFVII Crossover**

**Chapter One**

"Rufus, for the last time Cloud and I are not joining Shinra." Tifa sighed, Rufus was so damned persistent and she knew it paid off most of the time, but she wasn't going to give in now.

"It's just an offer. I felt a need to remind you that's all." Rufus smirked as he leant forward over his desk. "We always need good people to help us out."

"That's not why… you want Cloud back in SOLDIER." She huffed folding her arms.

"I'm sorry you see it that way Tifa." Rufus said his smile gentle.

Tifa grumbled internally, if the bastard wasn't so good looking she'd have punched him in the face by now. She'd done it in the past when… she sighed; going over old ground wasn't going to solve anything. What really annoyed her was that she ended up listening to him. Cloud knew that despite everything, she had some stupid soft spot for him, just like Reno. Why? She couldn't even work it out, not even after everything that had happened.

"I'll drop you at home Tifa." Rufus grabbed his car keys.

"You don't have too." She said trying to be stubborn. "Don't you need one of your Turks to hold your hand?"

"You'd be able to beat up anything just as well as they do." Rufus snorted as he headed outside. He whistled to old gnarly Dark Nation who bounded into the back seat of his car.

"You still have that thing? I thought he died?" She was sure Cloud had mentioned it.

"Most people thought Cloud had died at one point or another. Some things have a way of surviving." Rufus gave out a glimmer of a soft smile. Tifa found that it changed him entirely… she looked away. This was an old enemy; she couldn't allow herself these thoughts.

They drove back in relative silence before they reached the tunnel to head under the highway. Rufus drove at the speed limit, Tifa smirked, she was used to Cloud's insane bike speeds. Rufus was so conservative. From what she knew he was also damned spoilt and his Turks were constantly stretched by his rogue element and desire to be the centre of attention at times.

They headed under the tunnel, the executive car's lights following the road markings and Tifa found she was a little engrossed in the dashboard panel. They were driving quietly along when it went pitch black. Rufus slammed the on the brakes and they both flew forwards. Rufus smacked his head on the driving wheel and Tifa was flung against her seatbelt burning the side of her neck.

"Rufus! What's going on?" Tifa looked around. It was black, no car lights and no tunnel lights.

"I don't know." Rufus rubbed his forehead. "That actually rather hurt." He mumbled.

Tifa got out of the car and stretched her legs before she spotted a light further ahead. What if other people had been injured? Behind her Dark Nation slid out of the open door and fell into line. She waited to see if Rufus would follow, if it was a hit on the President's life she hardly needed to be one of the people accused if they succeeded.

Rufus finally joined them after he grabbed his gun and headed with them. The President had to admit, that if nothing else, his interest was peaked. They slowly walked down, Dark Nation sniffing around a couple of already trashed cars and looking at the meat inside. Rufus whistled him closer not needing to have the press take a picture of the Shinra owner with his pet dragging a leg behind him.

They came out to the other side and Tifa looked around, it was nothing like they had expected to see. The whole area looked overgrown and it looked like a large tall forest surrounded them. It was definitely not Edge or Midgar, Rufus looked to Tifa who turned around to go back into the tunnel and stalked off ahead. Rufus followed her and Dark Nation bounded ahead, whatever the new game was it was damned good fun for him.

"If you have me stuck in some stupid adventure I will kill you Rufus." Tifa put her hand on her hips as they got to the other side.

"Well if I have I would love to know how I did it!" He snapped as he opened his eyes to the other side and more forest. "Oh great now the Turks will be worried and I'll never hear the end of it."

"Cloud is going to kill me if he can't go to work and has to look after the kids." Tifa sighed. Rufus looked at her. "Cloud Strife... remember him? Saves your ass every five minutes?" She rolled her eyes.

"I would rather say ten minutes. It takes that long for the intelligence to get to me." Rufus muttered in jest. "Well where are we? You travel more than I do."

"Nowhere I recognize." She admitted. "Maybe we can investigate but you might want to put the dog on a lead, he is going to scare people if they are not from our city."

"I don't have a lead for him. He'd shock me." Rufus whistled Dark Nation to his feet and headed off through the tunnel into the strange looking forest. "I hope someone speaks our language." He muttered.

"Well you're the genius Shinra boy so you work out a way around it if they don't." Tifa stalked off.

"Of course, Madam. I'm here for your pleasure." Rufus muttered under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

"Are we actually going to take time out now?" Leon smirked as he looked over at Ada.

"I guess so." She stretched her arms above her head and looked over to him. "What were you thinking?"

Leon looked around the area. Up on the hill there was an encampment, it was half exploded. The figures in the background that occasionally moved and twitched were dead and the last of their spasms were dying off. Ada yawned and looked over to the handsome man at her side. She slid to her feet and got ready to go.

"You know the annoying part about all of this?" Leon smirked as they headed towards their car. Ada simply cocked her head in response. "I was actually hoping for a trip around Europe and this was not what I was expecting. I should tell their tourism board that if they want more people to visit these costal villages they should keep the zombie population to a minimum."

"I suppose it's worth a try." She chuckled and opened the door. "Before we do that however can we just get to a nice hotel, shower and relax?"

"Of course." Leon opened the door and they headed towards the road back out of the hellish place they had been assigned and off towards the main city.

Leon had been working, well sort of, with Ada for sometime and they took the jeep out in silence. He let her drive, he was already thinking about the report that was going back. It was a smaller outbreak, something they had been able to control but at some point it could get nasty again. He hoped to gods they had the firepower in supply for it and grumbled internally that there was no such thing as a normal day at the office.

Heading down the dirt trail towards an old tunnel they were hitting the place at some speed and suddenly Ada slammed on the breaks spotting a large black monster of a dog or cat with a tendril that was happily wagging around. The beast was the size of maybe a panther or something and in the distance two people were talking seemingly unaware of the thing that was sniffing around. Leon leant over the side of the jeep seeing it as Ada stopped and then levelled his pistol to it and fired.

Dark Nation was about to pee up the side of the overgrown hedges when some ignorant bastard shot at him and he looked around annoyed. He hated being interrupted at the best of times but aside from that he also knew better than to leave Rufus' side. The strange beast snarled at Leon and ran back to Rufus.

"Ada stop it!"

"How?" She looked at the thing as it crackled with electricity and ran towards the blond haired man in a white suit.

"DOWN!" Rufus yelled at the beast seeing it running his way and hearing the gun shot. His own gun was brought to his hand; Tifa brought her fists up ready to fight. Dark Nation slid to his belly with a whimper. He hated angry Rufus. "Who the HELL do you think you are shooting at my pet?" He yelled at Leon and Ada.

"Pet!" Leon yelled back and looked at the thing. "What the hell is it?"

"He's called Dark Nation." Rufus folded his arms somewhat indignant and Tifa brought her fists down with a giggle. Rufus looked so child-like that she couldn't help but laugh.

"Grow up." Tifa chided him. Rufus gave her a look at she couldn't quite make out if it meant he was angry or sulking.

"Either way you are sporting that thing in public and it's a monster." Leon looked at Dark Nation who was harmlessly resting at his feet. "Well he looked it."

"Poor DN." Tifa leant down and fussed him a bit. "You actually did the right thing and came to daddy and now you're still the big bad." She actually liked the animal more than she thought she would.

"Well either way what on earth are you doing out here?" Ada looked up and down at Rufus, kind of rich looking…

"We got lost in that accursed tunnel." Rufus pointed back at it. "I have ruined a thoroughly good car and in the process got lost which by the way I am not admitting to when I get home or the newspapers will have a field day." He tried to ignore Tifa's snickering.

"Why would they do that?" Leon looked at him. "I've never even heard of your sorry ass." Tifa put her finger to Rufus' lips sensing he was about to explode.

"This is President Rufus Shinra of the Shinra Electric Power Company…" She looked at their blank faces. "Midgar? Edge? Sister Ray? Jenova…" More blank stares. "We're not on our world Rufus that's why."

"Oh…" The three looked at each other as Tifa sighed.

"Look maybe we can find somewhere to compare notes. This isn't a place to leave the President in the open."

"Agreed." Leon said assessing that it might be a bad idea to argue with Rufus until he knew more about him.

"Come on." Ada pointed to the jeep.

"My car…" Rufus whined like the spoilt brat he was. He saw the look from Tifa. "Okay, Okay… I'll buy another when I get home." Tifa smirked and took his hand to get in and the four, plus DN, headed off to the hotel.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

They found somewhere and centred themselves around the desk in the bar. Rufus had also discovered their money was of very little use but Ada came to the rescue with that too and settling down with them they talked about the worlds they were in, versus the world Tifa and Rufus had come from. Rufus gave them a little information about Midgar, Edge, and the history of the company he ran and Tifa told him from her point of view about some of it.

Leon and Ada listened interested in the idea of their SOLDIER as it seemed like a sort of successful version of what they had just been investigating, with the virus, but the differences were highly different. The world the two people had come from was vastly different with talks of magic, the dog that the president had and the tales they were telling.

"Well in essence it looks as though we are all going to have to stay together. We don't have any missions to do and we can hopefully help you out." Leon nodded. "It sounds like you're going to need it."

"I hate to admit it but yes." Rufus let out a soft sigh of annoyance. Dark Nation had been made to sit in the jeep outside and he knew the beast would be hungry. "I need to get the animal something to feed or he'll try and eat someone. He's only had a handful."

The sick smirk did nothing to warm him to Tifa at that point. She found Rufus to have his good and bad moments but the whole idea of being stuck near him was confusing her. Should she be mad or should she just enjoy the aesthetic quality of him and push it aside? Either way she knew one thing, she was missing Cloud and the children around them back home.

"Where can we go? We don't have your money here and to be honest I won't feel good taking from you like this." Tifa said her eyes soft towards the two American's.

"Well I think we should consider heading out of Spain at least." Ada smiled. "Leon can you get the helicopter called in? I think a break in London might be nice and we do speak the language."

"London?" Tifa asked her curious.

"It's the capital of a country called England. There's a friend there we can house ourselves in his place until a plan can be put together."

"Well excuse me for interrupting but that puts us further away from the tunnel we came through and if that is the only focal point towards getting home I am not sure I would like that." Rufus pointed out. "What if we can only access our world through that? My people are going to be somewhat concerned if I don't return and honestly I dread to think what will happen if I am not there to oversee things. Some of my staff need closer watching than others."

"You're worried about the Turks aren't you?" Tifa snickered. "They are big enough and stupid enough to look after themselves."

"Well I will agree on the point of big enough." Rufus conceded and looked at them both. "Might we at least consider driving back there tomorrow and making our investigations?"

"I think I could agree to that." Leon nodded and stood up. "Right now it's late and I need some sleep. Ada?"

"Let's go." She smiled.

The room was next door to Rufus and Tifa, sadly with just one spare room left and it being a double bedroom Rufus realised that he would be taking either a chair or the floor. He opened the bedroom window and whistled. Dark Nation yawned, his large row of teeth on display as he guard hound looked around and then concentrated and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Seconds later he arrived in the bedroom and then sniffed around. He found the bathroom and lapped at the toilet water before flopping down by the entrance door. Tifa got up and put the lid down before noting that the place was used to one stop visitors with disposable toothbrushes and other essentials.

"Let's get a shower." Tifa handed Rufus a fluffy dressing gown. "You go first Rufus I'm going to get to grips with the television and see what their news is like okay?"

"Um Tifa?" Rufus blushed bright red. "I don't know how to run a shower. I... I never had to do it."

"You..." Tifa looked at him, he was quite sincere. She headed through and turned it on. "Do you have servants to wipe your ass too?"

"No." Rufus snapped. "I am not a domestic person that's all." He was embarrassed and now she was making it worse.

"Oh Rufus I'm sorry." Tifa realised that making jokes of his situation was not going to help. It must have taken some swallowing of pride to admit his flaw. She took his jacket from him and kissed his cheek. "It's okay I'll help where I can. I forget how the other side lives that's all."

Rufus nodded and closed the door, undressing and doing his best to fold his clothes to preserve them as best as he could. The water was hot and soothing on his skin but was doing little to ease the tension of their current plight. Rufus hated not being in the know and to be the one in charge and as he stood under the water he sighed wishing to gods he was at least home with comfort and data he could use. Tifa realised he had been alone for a while before she knocked on the door and let herself in.

It was a mistake as she looked up and down the presidents' body, gods he looked so well built and cared for. In the end she took his hand and pulled him out and wrapped a towel around him as she undressed and washed down too. Rufus snapped out of his current funk when he saw her. She was beautiful and kind. Rufus had over the years come to appreciate kind very much.

Rufus settled with the cushion from the chair on the floor pulling the gown around him and Tifa walked in and looked at the giant bed. She was an adult not a hormonal teenager so she pulled him to his feet and onto the bed with her. Rufus lay rigid for a while unsure of how to get comfortable with her there. If he turned towards her he was going to end up very aroused and knew it so he took a deep breath and turned away and closed his eyes because he was used to being alone anyway. Tifa heard his soft sigh, took a deep breath and moved up behind him and put her arm around his waist. His hand moved around to hers and he dozed off. Tifa decided as she slowly slipped to sleep that it felt pretty comfy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Tifa was already up the next morning and had set everything out for Rufus as she had gone to breakfast and to ask the kitchen manager for the scraps from last night. She had managed to get Dark Nation back to the jeep with the large bowl of random meats and vegetables and he had happily feasted on it waiting for his master. Tifa went and arranged their table with Ada who asked her about why she was with Rufus, she explained about going to see him to say that there was no way her friend/lover Cloud was joining SOLDIER and then said that really she didn't know why she bothered over Cloud anymore.

"Men... I will never get them." Ada chuckled and sat down as Leon grabbed what he wanted from the breakfast bar and joined them. "Where is your President?"

"He'll join us I am sure. He's had a pretty eventful day and I know he was tossing and turning last night. He's not used to being without his maids and bodyguards."

"Ah." Leon shrugged and looked to Ada. He knew the score but he was of the take-care-of-self club.

Rufus finally made it down and felt rotten that he had not managed to get fresh clothes. He sat down and grabbed the coffee and flipped his phone open pathetically hoping it would connect to home. He sighed and closed it down; he was missing Reno's whining and Tseng bossing people around. Tifa spotted he hadn't even got a clue about getting breakfast and went and pulled out a few bits before putting them in front of him. Rufus looked to her and smiled saying a thank you before drinking his coffee and then starting to work his way through the food. Leon and Ada made their plans with Tifa about getting to the car if they could or searching around the tunnel for clues.

"Okay let's see what clues we can find." Tifa said standing up and stretching. Rufus looked down trying to avoid watching her breasts as they moved. Leon knew that look and suppressed a laugh as he stood up and headed out to the van. Ada jumped when DN's large head poked out over the back of the jeep but she got in. Leon hopped in the back with Tifa so Rufus could see where they were going. The guy seemed to like being in control so he let him.

They got back to the tunnel and turned the headlights on driving through it with care. Rufus was praying his poor car was there but didn't hold out much hope. Leon watched the beams covering the area and then motioned Ada to stop as he spotted movement. A large black shadow moved along the wall and Rufus pulled his gun. He wasn't even sure it would help but he needed to feel useful. From the back seat Tifa readied herself for any attack that might happen. Leon slipped from the van and with a flash light he moved towards the fissure on the wall where the shadow had last been seen. Ada heard the groan around the bridge as it sounded like something above was bringing it down.

"Drive!" Leon shouted. "There's a hole you need to get out!" He readied himself to jump onto the passing jeep as Ada slammed her foot down and spared no thought as she aimed at the growing black hole. The tunnel was collapsing and she heard Rufus take a sharp breath expecting to collide with the tunnel wall. When they surfaced the other side it was a mountain that no one recognised and it was so bloody cold compared to where they had just been that they all shuddered and watched their breath in front of them.

"Where are we?" Ada wrapped her arms around her naked arms and shoulders. She really wasn't dressed for the cold.

"No idea." Rufus said as he removed his long coat and passed it to her without a second thought to himself. Tifa watched, he could be a real gent it seemed and she looked around but heard a familiar beep as Shinra's systems found the President. The phone began to ring and he flipped it open as Dark Nation slid weakly from the jeep. "Yes."

"President thank Holy you are safe. Do you need assistance?" Came the voice of Tseng relieved on the phone.

"I'd say we need someone to collect four of us plus DN. ETA?"

"We need to know your location." Tseng pointed out.

"I can see a town down there!" Tifa said her hand extending towards it in the distance.

"We're going to get into the town then I will find out what the situation is." Rufus told his Turk. "It's good to hear from you."

"You to sir." Tseng hung up.

Rufus moved behind Tifa as she led them down the mountainside. Leon moved behind them watching for signs of trouble as they were now, it would seem, on Rufus Shinra's turf. If he was the President then their job here would be the same as in their own world, to keep him from harm. Tifa pointed to a person in the background who seemed to be struggling to move up towards them. Leon watched the shambling figure and looked to Ada, it moved like something from the virus but neither of the residents they were with had mentioned them at all. Dark Nation bounded around the hillside coming back to his master each time.

"Sir I would like to ask you to get behind us." Ada said softly as she moved up with Tifa. "I think it was a person that was infected with a virus. It's no longer human Tifa." She levelled her gun and aimed. Leon stood in front of Rufus and watched her take her stance admiring her well formed curves as she did so. Tifa moved out of the way so that Ada could take her shot.

Instead of the creature collapsing it stumbled and moved forwards again. Tifa brought her fists up and ran forwards smashing one into the creatures face and jumping back. Leon watched her impressed with her strength as Ada aimed another shot at its head. Tifa took the hint when the bullet whizzed close to the things skull and with one last punch it collapsed.

They moved past the creature and slowly down into the town with appeared to have been left to ruins some years ago. Rufus hardly knew places unless it was Junon, Nibelheim or his own home town. He didn't see a point in personally visiting every where and if he was honest he had no time to do it anyway. Leon and Ada continued to move beside him as Tifa went ahead, she could look after herself well enough.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Tifa stood in the middle of the towns small square and looked at the snow covered mountains trying to establish where they were. Rufus spotted movement on the other side. If the town was abandoned then he didn't see any point in querying why someone was this far out of the way of society and shot. The body fell with a clear entry and exit wound to the head.

"You're a pretty decent shot." Leon looked at him. "And here I was thinking you had no use but to look fancy."

"And here I am thinking you have the wrong impression of me. I am able to fend for myself I simply prefer not too." Rufus snorted and moved on again.

"Rufus I think we are in Modeoheim." Tifa held up a battered old bathhouse sign. "This says Modeo Inn."

"Okay we can get pulled in then." Rufus flipped his phone open then looked to Leon and Ada. "Um how are we to get you back?"

"Who said we want to go back?" Leon smirked. "We have a whole new place to explore and if that is the virus you will need us."

"I need to know more about that." Rufus agreed, he whistled DN to his side and called in to Tseng. "Modeoheim. Send Reno he can fly better than most."

"Yes Sir." Tseng nodded and put through the order. "Can you hold up for a night? It's really bad weather."

"We can try. Sayonara." He closed the phone. "We need to make a place to stay. Where is best?" He looked to the others.

"Well there is the old store. It's got to be safer than us staying in the Inn; we know that had trouble before." Tifa looked at the door. It was pretty heavily locked.

"Here." Leon moved forwards and leant down. He got the lock-picks from his pocket and started to work on the large padlock.

Rufus watched the area nervously but had a good sense of relief wash through him when Leon opened the door and they headed inside. Tifa pointed as another strange creature came shambling their way and flopped into view. Leon got the pot-shot that time, he was about to turn around to make a happy fly comment when he heard more movement and the head detached turning into a freakish looking spider leaving Tifa with wide eyes at it. Leon and Ada knew them as Ganados and plaga. A creature that infected a human and grew until its host was killed. It ran at considerable speed towards the group.

Ada and Leon unloaded their clips at the thing and it jerked, writhed and then exploded on the ground. Leon headed inside and checked the area before he ventured in and then checked the store room. Tifa headed in and they both satisfied themselves that the main room at least had not been brought to ruin or had any odd creatures roaming around. Rufus was guided in by Ada as he tried to get back to Tseng and tell them that tomorrow was not good enough.

"Rufus?"

"Tomorrow... no good. Send SOLDIER if you have too but waiting around is NOT an option. There are these monsters here and they are going to kill us." Rufus looked out of the window.

"May I?" Leon held his hand out. Rufus nodded and handed him the phone. "Hello Tseng? My name is Leon Kennedy, I used to be a police officer in Racoon City in another world but more importantly I survived the city after an outbreak of something called the T-Virus. I think there is a chance that the virus has somehow been brought to your world. I don't know this for sure but unless you have a lot of issues surrounding what look like zombies I would very much like to meet you and figure out how to stop it spreading." There was a long silence at the end of the phone.

"Keep the President alive until Reno can get into the area and we'll talk. If he dies I will find you and kill you myself," Tseng warned him, "but I have not had these kinds of reports before. I need your intelligence on the matter."

"Done." Leon snapped the phone shut. "President we're making base here until this Reno person can come and collect you. Now..." He found an old bottle of bourbon, red wine and then looked around for other things like bandages, he found batteries. "How long as this place been empty?"

"I signed the last activity here about a year ago when they asked me to remove the families that were willing too. The files on my desktop but I don't have a computer here." Rufus sat on the counter, he was feeling so utterly disgusting and filthy but this was the best it would get for now.

"It's okay." Ada hopped up next to him. "Leon knows what he is doing." She cocked her head and looked at him, A rather wonderful ripple ran through Rufus, gosh she truly was a stunning woman. "I do too if it helps?" She chuckled lightly.

Tifa sighed and looked at the building. When he said the families willing to move she wondered about the others that didn't. Had they been infected by the strange virus? There was so little food around what had they been eating? They had to be hunting something if that was the case. She sighed deeply, if Cloud were here he might know. Tifa politely asked Rufus for the phone before slipping to the outside and sitting on the wall. It was a plan to call him but he might be on a delivery and then he wouldn't even bother to answer anyway. Typically she got his answer machine and so she left him a message asking him to call on the number she used.

"Cloud... I miss you." Tifa whispered and from behind her she heard movement. Tifa brought her fists up ready. Rufus put his hand to her shoulder and she looked up. "He's so very rarely at home."

"I can tell." Rufus said as he sat beside her. "I can't imagine anyone not wanting to be away from you." He smiled a little. "Me on the other hand..." He smirked.

"You seem okay when you're not giving very long speeches or trying to blow the planet up." Tifa kicked the wall with her legs and looked to him. "Rebuilding the planet must be hard work with your new statement for better things. Easier to send in SOLDIER than to... to play fair I would think."

"A matter of perspective. You're lover said it best." Rufus looked out as the snow began to fall. "I think I want to be forgiven." With that he stepped back into the store. Tifa smiled softly as he went out of sight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"It's going to be more dangerous over night." Leon told them throwing grain sacks against the window. "Plaga or whatever you want to call them, they survive in the dark best. They don't like the sun as much and the two we popped in the head were probably hungry if they ventured out when they heard us."

"How do we best tackle them?" Tifa helped him.

"Brute force... they take enough damage and eventually they go down." Ada explained. "Sometime though if you shoot them in the head you get that problem where they detach the strange creature and leave the corpse behind. Either way just shoot. They aren't really people any more."

"I did sort of guess that." Tifa nodded. "We just have to survive until the helicopter arrives. Reno's a good pilot, if it's possible to get us in this weather rest assured he will." She didn't mention he'd likely be trying to get his jollies with either of the newcomers within ten minutes of meeting them. Tifa figured that little amusement was something worth looking forwards too.

"I never heard you praise the redhead before." Rufus laughed a little, it changed his stern face. He yawned and looked at their not-so-humble abode.

"Get some sleep President Shinra. It could be sometime." Ada told him softly as Leon and herself guarded from the windows. Tifa looked around the area, she spotted Dark Nation was not inside there with them. Just as she noticed she spotted Rufus looking too, he was close to dozing off. Tifa realised that the dog was his sole comfort and the other three were there but it wasn't going to console him if the beast died.

"Whistle for him Sir." Tifa said softly. "He won't go far without you." She listened as Rufus whistled for his hound and they waited. Leon wasn't sure why they worried about the beast it probably had more chance of surviving then they did. Ada looked out of the window, maybe he would happily appear and pee on someone or something but then she had a ghastly thought. He would be hungry and the only meat he'd seen all day was a trail of blood and the hideous remains of the corpse outside.

"I don't think he will want to come in." Ada said and looked to them. "There's dinner out there."

"Will it affect him?" Rufus sat upright. "They... do dogs get that crap?"

"It's been known." Leon said his gun dropping down to his side as he lent back against the wall. "He's not a normal hound though. It could be better or worse. I just... don't know." Rufus went to the door, he opened it softly and looked out and whistled again. It was against his better judgement but he needed to try and get him back.

Dark Nation hadn't gone after dinner as such he had gone to the bathhouse and was snooping around when something bigger than the Ganados he had first seen came across him. The beast was used to protecting his master and refused to go back until the threat was ended. Growling at the creature that stepped forward the once human host stepped forwards. Rufus went to the door as he saw a shadow moving towards them and Dark Nation backed out snarling. His tentacle whipped forwards and finally he dragged the thing to the ground. As the President went to run to him Tifa pulled him back. She saw three or more figures coming from the town.

"I have to go to him." Rufus struggled against her.

"No you can't." Tifa said holding tightly to him and knowing it wasn't going to stop the blond from running out for too long. "Please listen Rufus. There are more."

"I don't care! That animal has saved my life so many times I..." He tried to break free but Leon joined her and held his other side. "I can't let him get hurt! He's too old." Rufus had gone past caring about himself or his decorum he just wanted the faithful beast by his side.

Dark Nation ripped and gorged at the threat, blood smearing over the soft white snow of Modeoheim as Rufus yelled at him to get back with futility. Tifa and Leon held Rufus though both had to admit they were surprised by his strength. Ada sighed and slipped out the back unnoticed. They others could keep Rufus safe but judging by the noise he was making if there were more they would know their location soon enough.

She grabbed some of the alcohol and some tape binding them together, pouring some over the outside of the makeshift explosives before she doused a rag around it with more of the bourbon. Leaping out of a back window she moved along, Rufus' coat keeping her warm as her high-heeled feet made slow progress around the building.

"Rufus please!" Leon was considering head-butting the son-of-a-bitch as he tried to get out, snagging the waistcoat and trying to wrestle to his gun.

Tifa could see he was trying not to break down in tears. She briefly let her grip slide as she wondered if she could be happy that isolated all of her life. She grabbed his shirt again as he surged forwards. In the meantime Dark Nation was slavering and ripping at the body which collapsed in the snow and jerked and juddered before collapsing. Dark Nation turned to run back to the store but the plaga erupted and a sharp talon like a knife bit into him. Rufus let out a scream of terror as he watched his faithful guard and friend collapse against a wall being thrown into the stones, snow fell from the roof and covered him in a fine layer.

Leon spotted Ada just as she opened fire and took down the first thing. More Ganados shambled into sight from near the mountain tunnel and Leon yelled his warning to her. Why did Rufus have to put so much value on the blasted hound? He growled in annoyance throwing the president over the counter. Tifa ran out to help Ada her bracer pulled down her wrist she darted towards Dark Nation to pull him to the store and clear a better path for her new friend.

"Kill them!" Leon shouted as she threw the bottle, tape and rag that way and opened fire with her trusty machine-gun. Bullets rang out over the night sky like a drummer hasted. Standing her ground she didn't let up until the bottle finally caught fire and the creatures momentarily dazed by the light were moved down by the shower of shots. Leon ran out and loaded the shotgun as he took a firm stand next to her and shot out at a rhythm and power that did just as good on the things as the hail of machine-gun fire did.

"Rufus!" Tifa saw him run out their way, Dark Nation in her arms stopped her from getting hold of him. Rufus came out and from behind, them she heard him mutter a short spell as the gun he held glowed with materia and rang out over all the other noise. The fireball and bullet slammed into one and body parts showered across the rest of them, the night sky momentarily became a beacon to anyone around as the fire wiped the rest that were standing out and Rufus dropped his gun, he panted as the magic drained him and he stumbled back towards the store feeling dejected.

"I want one." Leon looked to Ada as he lifted the gun. "I want one if it can do that!" Ada was just about to say something to him when they heard a whirring above, the wind kicked up and the area suddenly got flooded with light.

"Welcome to Modeoheim yo!" Reno's voice came over the speakers on board. "Now collecting from Modeo-airport. Passengers are advised that they are not to bring on board wibbly monsters that might take out the pilot. Thank you for choosing Shinra airways." And with that he dropped the winches and waited as one by one the inhabitants were pulled to safety.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Once they had landed Rufus arranged for them to come back to the large penthouse and ordered a room to be made for his guests. Tifa ended up following along as Rufus asked her not to tell anyone about the developments other than Cloud. Dark Nation was eased into a large basket and carried to the vets. Rufus hated to leave him but the beast had whimpered the whole flight home. Tifa slid on to the sofa and called Cloud, another message left. Rufus slid into a hot shower and came out in a loose shirt and white jeans. Ada looked at him and sighed, Leon was her lover but boy he looked good.

"Okay I'm going to search our database for anything close to those damned awful creatures and see if we can make a reference point. If not I am probably ordering Tseng out to look into it." Rufus pulled up the touch screen on the computer on the wall. The terminal kicked into life.

"Welcome to Shinra Manufacturing." The automated female voice responded. "How may I help you President?"

"Good day, please search for T-Virus, Zombies, Undead, Plagas and remove media reports, just Shinra ones please." He turned the screen out as the reports came up in the room projected around him. Leon looked at it in awe. Ada wasn't far behind. Rufus pulled them out one by one. "Nothing... Nothing... Pirate Zombie." He looked at it. "Oh well honestly, that's not real." He opened the last file and shrugged nothing of worth.

"I suspected that would be the case." Ada said pushing her hair behind her ears. "We'll help where we can then."

"Can I have one of those too?" Leon whispered to her. Ada smirked and shook her head. Boys and their toys.

"One of you will have to explain this to Tseng I think. Ada would you go with Tifa? Leon can you come with me to the Medical Department?" He pushed the computer back into the wall. "Tseng will want to know the intelligence on them and if we can get SOLDIER out to Modeoheim they can invade that area and remove anything left walking."

"Rufus." Tifa softly interjected. "What if they can be saved?"

"Not easy." Leon told them. "I mean it can be but you need and antidote and any where the host has been fully taken means they don't have a chance."

"Plus we would have to develop it." Rufus added with a slight sigh. "I'm going to order SOLDIER out and we should have some samples to work from perhaps. Tifa please don't bait Tseng either you know he rises to it because it's you." He smiled at her softly.

"Okay but please work on an antidote okay?" She nodded and took Ada's hand. "Tseng's okay he just needs to get laid or chill out. Too many years working for the company and not thinking about himself."

"I'm sure he's not that bad Tifa." Ada smiled as they got in the car Rufus had ordered for them. "Leon and I have had our run-ins with all sorts. I think I can come across as a bitch to be fair." She watched as Tifa pulled off and nodded, she knew the feeling well. "So is Rufus hooked up with anyone?"

"Are you interested?" Tifa looked at her. "No he's not. He's probably very high maintenance. He can't seem to do a lot unless there is someone holding his domestic candle for him."

"Oh well no thanks, I have Leon." Ada chuckled. "I just thought he looked rather cute."

"Oh he is." Tifa giggled. "But he can be a heartless bastard too." With that the conversation went silent as they headed to meet Tseng.

Tifa had never really learnt to like or trust Tseng on any level. She had however softened to hear that he had kept Aerith's letters to Zack and that he had wanted to save him from his fate. Perhaps there was something left of his humanity after all.

Meanwhile Leon took out a car from the garage and reversed out so Rufus could get in. Rufus was still pondering over what happened to his car and silently hoping that Dark Nation was okay. Leon pulled out and followed the given directions towards the Headquarters in the centre of the strange round city. He was again almost distracted by the Mako reactors and their amazing sights but shook his head, with things the way they were Ada and he might have time to see more of it than anyone expected. Hell this adventure might even be permanent.

"You are thinking too much." Rufus broke a lengthy silence.

"I do it sometimes. Guilty as charged."

"Don't... it's really all I have left lately." Rufus looked at the reactor and steeled himself again. He was right in many ways, it was thinking about problems or rising ones that kept the loneliness from taking hold at times.

"I think you're wrong about that but then again I hardly know you." Leon concentrated on the road again.

"Not many people do Leon." He smiled. "It has its advantages. People can't really plan ahead around me or plot against me if they can't be sure what my reaction will be."

"No children or anything?"

"No they are a liability to be kidnapped if you ask me. I wouldn't want my children to grow up hating their father like I hated mine either." He added quietly.

Leon thought of what Ashley Graham, the Presidents Daughter on his world had been through. Even though Rufus might have a point it occurred to him that seeing the young lady and her father united also held great value too. He heard Rufus shift in the seat... he was lying but Leon knew better than to point it out. What a strange world and why did he have such an issue with the father and son thing? Leon decided he would like to hang around long enough to work that mystery out. Damn him for being curious. He changed gear and headed over the highway with another lengthy silence.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Tseng was settled against the sofa reading a book with the television on in the background. He rarely stopped to think, it produced some undesirable moments of humane based conscience. He yawned, grabbed the brandy and thought about the idea of going to bed when the buzzer went. He looked at his watch, eyebrow raised. It was an odd time for a visitor but he got up and taking his gun he opened the apartment door.

"Tifa?" Tseng looked confused. Something that didn't happen often.

"Rufus sent us over." She nodded. Tseng saw Ada, an appreciative sweep of his eyes was the only sign of interest he showed. "This is Ada she's come to help. Her and her partner Leon were involved with Reno coming out to collect us."

"I see." He opened the door and headed back in. "Carry on then." He went to put on the coffee machine as they followed him in. Tifa's chocolate brown eyes looked around the apartment. No signs of personality, it looked like he had less to offer than Rufus. Gods what a lonely existence!

Ada explained the T-Virus and the history of their work. She gave him a detailed report from her memory about the events around places like Racoon City and then about the trip out Leon had to get the Presidents daughter and his own infection. Tseng listened and Tifa helped with more of the information from their side. The Head of General Affairs was interested but it all sounded like one of the horror films Reno loved watching so much.

"So..." Tseng put the lot together and poured another brandy. "This virus... is it something someone in particular will be spreading?"

"There is a chance someone's come here with it. I mean we got here didn't we?" Ada pointed out.

"For once when someone knocks on my door I'd love it to be either a call girl or something entertaining that wasn't related to world ending annoyances." He knocked the drink back.

"Tseng." Tifa smiles at him softly. "You guys will work it out I am sure. I asked Cloud to contact us but so far he's not been in contact." She wanted him to be, she was missing him but the fact that he yet again left her alone and fighting her own side of a battle annoyed her.

"Well if he shows up he can help if he wants. You know what he's like about us." Tseng threw his glass on the side and gathered up the laptop. It was another insomnia night now and so he started to set up.

"It can wait until tomorrow I am sure." Ada said to him honestly.

"I'm awake now and thinking so I might as well."

"Well don't you want to relax? Shinra isn't everything you know?" Tifa looked at him.

"Yes it is." Tseng cut her off and logged in. "People in our jobs cannot go home to children and wives knowing that they have killed others. I'm quite happy to get this done. Get Rufus to let me know when he's any closer to those antidotes. We may need them if anything strayed from Modeo-."

"Okay Tseng." Tifa wandered towards the door and spotted a shelf with a small clear glass box, inside lay a yellow pressed flower like Aerith grew in the church. She didn't press the matter; instead she headed to their car and got back into her seat. Ada followed a few minutes later and settled into the opposite seat, she looked at Tifa. "Turks." Tifa half-snorted as they headed back towards Rufus's place. Tifa wondered just what Tseng had been asked to do over those years that made him so very cold. She shuddered, it was better not to think about it. She sighed as they came into view of the penthouse. "How... lonely." She whispered and tried Cloud once more.

Meanwhile Leon and Rufus drove over to Headquarters and parked up. Rufus swiped his access card down the reception doors and headed in. The receptionist gave him the usual polite greeting as he was in fact the man that kept her in employment. Rufus nodded and headed up another flight of stairs. Leon got lost around the impressive building yet Rufus knew every nook and cranny. Of course he did, just like his Turks this was his life's work. Leon was captivated by the technology but when they hit the R&D area he ended up looking in at a cabinet of weaponry he couldn't identify.

"This... you own all of this?" Leon looked at him amazed.

"My father died and I was made President. Shinra... clue's in the name." He joked but it was blandly toned and hardly energetic. He flipped his phone as they headed up towards the medical bay, his mind half on his poor pet and the other half on the task at hand. "I need SOLDIER ready for deployment. Yes the location will come via Reno as he mapped the area when he picked me up earlier. No..." The President's voice was commanding but Leon found a certain smoothness to it that drew people in. "Nothing in the area is to survive. Thanks." He closed the phone. "Reno had already dropped off the co-ordinates." He moved on again.

"You don't have much energy past this place?" Leon followed him through the automatic doors, more of the company logo's littered the area. He didn't dare touch anything in case it snapped back or somehow shocked him. He watched as Rufus opened up a strange looking computer and logged in. "You do a lot of very technical things yet you can't make a coffee?"

"I don't have time to worry about domestics. Right now the only thing I care about is that antidote." Rufus sighed. "How long does it take for the thing to manifest in general?"

"I can't say as I really know. I got the antidote in time."

"I see." Rufus looked at him, Leon saw a glint in his eye and didn't like it. "So you have already survived it once..." He looked at Leon up and down the idea coming to him. Why waste time gathering data he had all he needed in front of him surely?

"No." Leon backed up and his hand went to his gun. Rufus shook his head and Leon groaned, sure he might get to shoot the son of a bitch but he wasn't going to get out alive. He sighed and moved his hand. "What does it entail?"

"Just a scan, blood samples and then we can try and see if it altered your biological system in anyway." Rufus smirked; the look on Leon's face was just what he liked. He had realised where Rufus' true power lay. "I can't put the lives of many behind the lives of one Leon Kennedy."

"I see." Leon rolled his eyes. "Gods nothing changes just the locality." And for the first time he heard Rufus Shinra genuinely laugh.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Leon ended up following them along towards a larger medical bay. He had refused to let Rufus let a whole team loose on him but had reluctantly agreed to a doctor and Rufus taking some samples. He had to admit part of him was curious too, he might learn something about himself. Leon sat down on the recliner and watched as the doctor hooked him up to a monitor and then slowly drew blood from his arm. Leon didn't really mind it but Rufus' cold analytical look was eerie, compared to the soft thoughtful man he could be it was actually harder to look on him than their initial meeting when guns had been pointed. Was this the real face of the President?

"Scan him and then let the poor man get a coffee and meet me in my office." Rufus told the doctor and headed up the stairs. His view was to get a head start on reports based on Tseng's feedback, the information Reno had scanned on the way in and... He sighed. He was about to make a mental note to get Dark Nation fed but it turned into note to ring up to try to determine if the hound was going to survive.

Rufus flicked his lights on and sat down before picking up the phone to find out. There in the only lit office on the 70th Floor he sat in his office. He listened trying to maintain his composure when they finally told him that it looked unlikely the animal would survive due to an unknown virus in his system. Rufus could only see enough to request that he was made comfortable and to be told of any change in the situation.

Rufus finally gave in to emotion and got a mug of coffee which he cradled in his hands. He didn't keep friends... well Reeve but that was mostly situational with work. He didn't like to burden his Turks with personal talk and he certainly couldn't venture casually out on to the nightclub strips to pick someone up. Rufus looked out of the windows as he stood and watched the city move. If Dark Nation went that was the last of his companion's deceased.

"I'm done." Leon walked into the office and looked over the city. "I don't think it would be easy to look over this place and not feel a sense of pride President."

"Yes it is." Rufus told him softly and explained about the events surrounding Sephiroth's defection, Zack Fair's death, Genesis' degradation and a whole series of events that he had learnt of over the years. It kept him talking until the early morning by which time Ada and Tifa had grown bored of waiting and gone back to Tifa's bar. "It's not a glorious rise to power and the planet suffers."

"Geostigma sounds like it left its mark on you." Leon said softly and looked at him. "Rufus you need to save your pet and we need to save a lot of people from what could be a madman."

"Well let's just hope we find him and an antidote fast." Rufus said yawning as Tseng came through the door and handed him a dossier. "What is this?"

"The intel- from Modeoheim." Tseng told him. He grabbed a coffee for himself. "Good morning." He bowed his head to Leon. "Sir you need sleep."

"Morning." Leon nodded to him; he looked like someone very capable of holding himself in a fight. Leon didn't intend to test that unless it was necessary.

"I'll sleep when there is a point at which I feel relaxed enough too." Rufus turned the pages in the dossier. "What is this?" He pointed at the maps and surveillance. "Is this the underground complex through the bath house out there? Is there a chance we have the base of operations right near the point we held up? Damn it... we could probably have gone in there."

"I don't think that would have been wise President Shinra. You didn't have any back up from SOLDIER or us." He pointed out but nodded, he was quite correct there was an underground base they had been close to.

"I had three perfectly capable people and myself." Rufus muttered and looked at the base a little more. "What is this passage?" He didn't spot the grateful look from Leon for mentioning he felt they were capable.

"It's a possible escape point. If that is the case then we need to get someone out to investigate. I'll send Elena and Rude." Tseng moved out to make his calls and get people moving.

"He's efficient." Leon smirked looking down on the maps. He found a picture of one of the bodies and looked at it. "Where did the host's creature go? There is a sign it's moved off but no notes to say anyone took the creature down."

"TSENG!" Rufus shouted him back in. "There is a potential for more disturbances. I know it's been cleared but ask them to be careful just in case."

"Yes sir." Tseng nodded and headed down to their floor.

Tifa woke Ada the following morning though there really hadn't been much need. She heard a variety of children's voices as Tifa helped out the local orphans and gave them something to eat. She'd dreamed of making an extension to the bar once, Cloud and herself could have helped the streets children and alongside the bar she'd be able to keep an eye on them. Denzel yawned as he got his school bag together and passing the room Tifa went into he looked at Ada with a mild curiosity before heading off out.

"Hi Ada." She smiled to her warmly. "I set your clothes out since I got them washed up last night." The two women looked much better for the nights sleep and Tifa left Ada to dress and get ready.

Ada came down the stairs and smiled. She made herself a decent mug of hot coffee and then sat on the barstool looking around the place. Tifa cleaned the sides and readied opening the place for her friend Cid to come in. He helped out when he wasn't busy or if she called in a favour and Tifa felt that it would be best to try and keep on top of the situation. Ada saw her glance at the phone again, whoever this Cloud was she was ready to tell him he was a pile of shit for not even answering. It seemed so unfair to her that such a pretty woman would wait around when most sensible men would jump at a chance for even a passing interaction with her. Tifa seemed to be unaware or chose not to acknowledge Ada's roaming eyes.

Cloud stumbled in slowly from the long trek and slid off his bike before pushing it into the garage. He had forgotten to charge the phone yet again and expected the lecture about him not telling her when he was due back. He stretched his weary limbs and grabbed the packs from the back of Fenrir. He shut the garage down and headed up the stairs with a hot bath and a days sleep in mind. He didn't expect the pretty newcomer to turn her head as he walked in and regard him with contempt as Tifa said his name and got ready to move from behind the bar to welcome him home.

"Cloud this is Ada she's um... you didn't get my messages did you?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Phone ran out of battery." Cloud ignored her look. He'd suffered enough of them over the years. "I'm sorry Tifa." He said softly and went to kiss her.

"Go shower then I'll explain." She said avoiding his attempt. "And charge your damned phone." She sat next to Ada and picked up her drink.

"Okay." He muttered kicking his bags into the corner of the bar and heading up. Ada looked to Tifa when he was out of sight.

"Okay he's cute but really; you gotta kick that man into shape. Can't you put a homing device on him?" She chuckled.

"Maybe if he joined Rufus' crew I'd get to know more about where he went." She smiled and nodded to her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Cloud came down and sat at the table as Ada sat one side and Tifa sat the other. He felt like he had been arrested! The two women explained the situation. Cloud listened to them but Tifa could see he wasn't entirely sure of the situation because he kept fiddling with his hair or a badge, the loose parts of his jeans or an imaginary fray on his jumper. The one thing Cloud didn't like is that that whole sordid mess had got the President involved again. Rufus 'bloody' Shinra and his people always ended up involved in trouble. This was probably one of the few where he had to admit the spoilt brat hadn't caused in some way.

"I don't see how I am going to need to get involved Tifa." The blond's soft voice finally broke a small silence.

"I don't think we can but," she looked at Cloud and took his hand, "I just want to help if we can. I never really noticed before how cut off Rufus and the Turks are from people. I mean Reno's a sociable person but they can't talk about their work to anyone and Rufus really looked lost when Dark Nation was hurt."

"Good that dog had its fair share of my flesh." Cloud spotted the glare from either side and groaned. "Fine so the child lost his puppy what can I do about it? He tried to kill me enough times... he ordered our executions. I don't want to get involved in it."

"I think you should." Ada said softly. "Whatever is going on, I can assure you we have had our fair share and if working together stops an outbreak with people surely it is a good thing."

"I am going to regret this I am sure." Cloud sighed and got up. He found his sword and wandered back their way.

"He compensating?" Ada looked at the Buster Sword. Cloud missed the comment as he began to check the weapon over.

"I assure you," Tifa gave her a knowing smile, "he isn't." Tifa stood up and smiled to him. "Take Ada over to meet with Rufus and her partner at the Headquarters okay?"

"What about you?" The blond ex-SOLDIER regarded her quizzically.

"I'm going to go over to sit with Dark Nation. If anything should happen and the animal is infected those people might need me." She hugged him and patted his shoulder before heading up to get ready to go when Cid arrived.

"Hope you don't mind bikes." Cloud looked at her and her attire.

"Oh don't worry I'll take a trip in anything from a bike to a helicopter."

"I wouldn't say that near Reno." Cloud muttered and headed to open the garage doors. So much for a day in bed.

The rest of the day at Shinra in the Presidents office was quiet, waiting for leads from Elena, Rude or information from the medical team. Cloud had taken a comfortable position on the couch against the back wall and had got into a chat about the benefits and withdrawals of the Mako in his system. Neither of the seasoned fighters said a word when Rufus ended up asleep over his desk. Cloud sighed audibly the man looked tired of life not just of being awake for a little too long. Cloud found himself watching the cream suited President's slow rise and fall of his chest as he slept. Tifa's words were soaking in slowly. Rufus was lonely but she was too. He rested his arms on the hilt of his sword and closed his eyes.

Ada had kept herself amused by looking into the Turks floor and sat on Reno's desk filing her nails. It was obvious the redhead's thoughts were not on his work despite the way he had been trying to pay way too much attention to the keyboard on his laptop or stare at the screen for a little too long. She spotted his eyes would roam slowly upwards and he'd end up darting them back down again moments later. She found that it was quite enjoyable to make his life a mini-hell.

"Do you need to be in my office?" Reno asked finally.

"No but I don't have many places to go and we are waiting for an intelligence update or several." She cocked her head and teased him by adjusting the strap on her bra. Reno's eyes watched the breast move. Damn it... at this rate he'd be doing the time honoured hand-job in the toilets. He needed to get laid. It had been easily two days since he last went on an outing.

"Yo well go annoy Tseng or something." He muttered.

"His office is closed." She shrugged, again he tried to hide the fact he was watching her chest.

She could see he was a man used to getting women on his terms but he'd already been made aware of her partner and no matter what Reno had a code. Never fuck another man's girl knowingly and never let trouble in your door without checking you had the only key in and out. Control your environment, pick your woman carefully. It had kept him alive this long. Ada chuckled to herself when the feisty and loud-mouthed Turk stood up and stretched with a dramatic yawn.

He headed to the toilet and Ada closed her eyes, a small fantasy of what he might be entertaining in there came to her mind. She almost considered bursting in but reality struck home and she put herself off with the idea that she'd catch him with a magazine and his pants down enjoying a sabbatical removal of his lower guts. Her fantasy destroyed by her own mind Ada looked over his computer screen and smirked.

Reno had a list of various tasks all labelled beneath something now coded as Project T.V, which seemed a little too obvious to her, but as she went to touch it she heard an overly exerted cough. Ada looked around to see the redhead stood in the doorway, camera pointed where he'd already got a fantastic shot of her arse and then another of her cleavage as she turned around.

"Miss me chica?"

"Not now." Ada jested and looked up. "What do you do exactly as 'General Affairs' or Turks? Whatever you are?"

"We do the shit that no one else would." He settled down on the chair again and smirked. "But we're very well paid for it."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

They had waited for so long that Leon had nodded off and Rufus had probably slept a good five hours slumped over the desk. The silence was shattered by Cloud loosing the grip on his sword and the definitive noise as it crashed to the ground. Cloud was tired and he knew it but Rufus yawned, sat up and sighed. He needed to do something... all of them felt the same.

Finally Reno got up and headed that way. Ada had curled up on the small leather chair in the corner of his office and there he felt she would have been okay but she'd snapped awake and followed him. Reno was peeved, he was nursing a permanent semi-erection and he needed to go home. He stretched in the lift and got ready to tell Rufus the news. Leon's blood would give them enough to start the creation of an antidote but they really did need an original sample of the virus to get much further.

"Did Elena or Rude get you any more?" Cloud was hoping to be told he could go look because the sitting around annoyed him and he really didn't want Rufus to think he'd take up any offers he'd been given. This was being done for Tifa more than anyone.

"Not yet." Reno yawned. "Ya need me any more Ruf?"

"Yes... fly Cloud and Leon out to join the Turks at the site." He would have let him go but the common way Reno addressed him so casually annoyed him. "And then you can clock out."

"I'd like to go." Ada pointed out.

"Thanks but I do better on my own." Cloud stood up.

"Oh no." Leon grabbed his gun and stopped the blond. "Your girlfriend, wife... whatever she is has already seen you skip off. Sorry this time you are putting up with one of us."

Cloud knew when he was beat and nodded. Reno didn't care he just wanted to get them to where they needed to be and then get the fuck home to bed, or to at least get the pay-per-view adult channel to get some much needed relaxation in. He led the two men towards the hanger and got them both inside before starting his girl up. They headed up over the city and out towards Modeoheim again, Leon and Cloud took to a quiet chat about their experiences and Leon found him likeable in that he did seem to want to know about the truth of the matters at hand, he also paid good attention to how to kill the damned things.

"I take it from the glares and hardly said words you're not happy about working with the President." Leon stated rhetorically.

"Rufus and his company are nothing but trouble to me historically." Cloud said but not with ill spoken words towards them, more a reflection of the situation. "Lately though I guess we have all put pasts behind us in the interests of moving on."

"Sounds like you have a lot to work for. Rufus told me about the problems with Sephiroth and what he and his company had been involved in. He was very honest about what had happened."

"Yeah he would be… you don't know him to make an opinion that isn't favourable to anyone but him." Cloud snorted.

"That's my boss ya talking about." Reno reminded them. "And I'll have you know that compared to the last president this ones a gem. He works hard and he learns his lessons well."

"I'm seeing that more I admit." Cloud sighed, but he couldn't forgive Shinra as a whole for ruining his life and for gunning down his best friend, Zack.

"And Cloud," Reno looked around for a second, "Tseng really wanted to save Zack but you'd never have known." He focused back on his flying. Cloud opened his mouth, had the bastards found a way to read his mind too? He slumped back against the side of the helicopter.

"Sorry doesn't mean I will go back to working for you." He muttered.

"Maybe just working with us is enough for now Cloud." Leon looked at him. "I don't have your history together with them all but they have the money and people to help. This virus can take hold fast and no-one needs to suffer because of pride."

"I said I'd do this. Holy, yes was yes okay?"

"I'd probably treat your wife to a meal too."

"She's not my wife." Cloud mumbled.

"I'd make her mine." Reno piped in. "With ti…"

"Shut up!" Leon and Cloud interrupted and then looked at each other. Cloud smiled faintly, he liked this guy a lot and anyone that could put Reno in his place was good in his books. The cocky redhead always seemed to scrape his way out of trouble at the last moment.

Looking over as they came to the town it was clearly a good thing that they had arrived because Elena and Rude were on top of the old general store with their guns surrounded by a group of the strange creatures. They hadn't even made it into the base before the things had come crawling out. What amazed the Turks even more was that for a deserted town there seemed to be a lot of them coming up to greet the newcomers.

"Is that Reno back again?" Elena looked up.

"Hell no…" Rude mumbled and subconsciously checked his pocket for spare shades. The guy had a habit of saving his own ass at Rude's expense.

"Yeah that's him alright." She waved to them glad to see that they had back up and then even more surprised when Cloud dropped out of the vehicle first. "And he brought someone more equipped for the fight I see."


	12. Chapter 12

Reno set the chopper down so Cloud and Leon would be able to move in and Cloud wasted no time in putting the Buster sword to use. Slicing through the creatures he soon came to rest in the middle of the group, the last one by his side remained for only a second before sliding in half and collapsing downwards with a sickening plop.

Leon raised his gun as the head of one exploded into the spider like tendril and nearly took a chunk of Cloud Strife's leg out before Leon shot it to the ground. The puss filled thing splattered and slid along the floor landing at the door of the building.

"Thanks." Cloud nodded and kicked the headless torso to one side stepping over it and then putting his arms out so Elena could jump down.

"Oh thank you." She smiled landing in the ex-SOLDIER's arms. "Oh I could get to like that."

"I bet but you have to get through Tifa first." He smiled and set her down. "Sorry Rude I'm not inclined that way."

Rude grunted, he could have rolled his eyes but beneath the shades no-one knew, he landed with a heavy thud on the ground below and straightened his jacket. Reno flew off again and left them to it, he wanted to get home and it looked like they were going to be busy for a while there. He turned the music on and set off back to the city.

"Right so this inside base is the target yes?" Rude looked at them both.

"Yes," Leon nodded, "I've asked Ada to go to see Tifa needs some help looking after Dark Nation."

"You mean protecting people because he might turn out even more dangerous." Cloud snorted as they moved ever onwards. "Will Ada kill the thing because I know Tifa won't now she's petted and fussed it so of course she will be attached."

"You know her pretty damned well then?" Leon smirked and the group moved forwards.

"More than she thinks actually." Cloud said softly behind him.

"You need to tell her Cloud." Elena said softly. "She's waiting for you to tell her that."

"She knows." Cloud said proving yet again he had barely bothered to think past the next fight as opposed to worrying about the woman at homes feelings. It wasn't that he didn't care he was just a little oblivious to it all. "Let us just get this over and done with."

Rude nodded and headed with him, he was of the opinion he could get in, get out and get the hell home. There was a decent bottle of scotch on the table at home and he wanted to enjoy it. They headed in through the open floor down into a basement where Zack had ventured many years ago.

The Bathhouse there had served as a fight for Zack against Genesis and then his mentor and friend Angeal. The place held high emotional value for Cloud and he became silent as they stepped in. Leon looked around and headed alongside Elena into the lower basement.

"What's in this place?" Leon asked them. "Seems like it's abandoned."

"It was," Elena nodded, "there is a long history involving former members of SOLDIER but the essential part is there is a potential for the lab work to happen in this place. There is a chance that if someone is producing the T-Virus here would make sense." She kicked an old handle from one of the pumping machines to the side. "The creatures are coming from here which means that they probably won't have come from anywhere else. There is nowhere else is there?"

Leon nodded and followed her; the Turks it seemed dealt with a lot of aspects of business. Cloud kept quiet but he was very aware of his surroundings and ready to act. He never took his hand far from the bloody great sword on his back and Leon watched the two Turks moving around with practised behaviour, he was with a good team and it helped.

The laboratory had been accessed recently and the stench of rotting corpses that had been used in previous experiments assailed all of their noses. Leon was glad they hadn't ventured down here with Rufus. It would have been a nightmare to keep him in view and investigate the myriad of chambers now presented to them. He kept his gun to his hand though he was quite mindful that their main source of 'peacekeeping' came in the form of the moody blond guy.

The lab had been abandoned once the investigator had got what he needed and made the town the successful test area. Elena found papers discarded around the area and picked them up she had no idea what a lot of it meant but Leon seemed to recognise a tattered book and she held it open.

"They are notes made by an old acquaintance of mine. Luis Sera, he was once a policeman in a place called Madrid, or so he said." Leon looked at the battered notes and sighed. "He died trying to help us to put and end to this kind of mess back on our world."

"Well then those notes can continue to help." Rude told him and put them in his pocket. "Let's carry on."

"He doesn't mess around does he?" Leon smirked.

"He's competent when he's not around that idiot redhead." Cloud muttered.

"Hey! Reno's good at what he does!" Elena defended him in his absence. "He's just a little unorthodox at times."

"I see." Cloud muttered under his breath, all he knew was that he hated the fact that Reno had a way of flirting with Tifa and it actually made him feel jealous. "So any further clues on…" Cloud stopped talking when he spotted the glasses on the side. The little black rimmed round-shaped… "The bastard's still alive." He punched the wall and a crack through the brickwork.

"Who?" Elena glanced at him, her gun still poised and ready.

"Hojo."

The silence in the room left Leon with no doubt that whomever he was, he was damned bad news.


	13. Chapter 13

"He's not showing any signs of improvement." The veterinarian said to Tifa as she sat patiently in the reception chair. Tifa had sat there since the others had gone back out to Modeo- and she had hoped to give the President good news about his pet. "We really don't think we can save him. The President… he, he won't take retribution will he?"

"I don't think so hon." Tifa sighed. "I think he'll be very upset."

"He doesn't strike me as a man to be upset by many things." The woman said heading back through to the kennel area.

Ada slid through the door and sat next to Tifa, she took her new friends hand. Tifa sighed, she didn't have to explain it to Ada, and the woman knew the situation better than her about how the things were created and came about. Ada wondered what the President would order if the dog did go rabid and had to be put down, would he ask for them to level the area? Would he end up inconsolable?

"They have a chance to find an antidote right?" Tifa looked at her after another lengthy silence.

"People have made it before and it seems like you have very intelligent people that can make a good go of it." Ada nodded. "Leon survived and the daughter of our President too. It's really a race though I am afraid."

"I hope… they win this one." Tifa sighed. "I hope Cloud is okay."

With that it went back to silence and they watched the clock ticking for a while. Tifa nodded off against Ada and the newcomer looked around. Some of the pets seemed to be unusual so it wasn't just Dark Nation that had been a strange sight after all. Tifa yawned as she woke up and stretched out her legs.

"Excuse me…" The veterinarian came out. "There's something strange going on with the hound."

"Like what exactly?" Ada looked at her and pulled the gun from her side.

"It seems to be salivating a lot more and," she lowered her voice, "he keeps trying to eat at the bars."

"Well if he can't remember that he can phase through things I think that's a good thing." Tifa said patting the short and skirt affair she wore straight and looked over to Ada. "Dark Nation can move through things like its smoke. It is pretty damned dangerous."

"I would think that something natural to him wouldn't be forgotten. That does not strike me as a good thing." Ada sighed and walked out to the kennels at the back. She leant to the cage and looked at the strange beast.

Dark Nation snarled back at her, saliva dripping from the teeth and onto the cage floor. Ada sighed, the first sign of the virus really taking hold had begun and he was already changing his personality, she watched as the hound moved around the cage, weaving and trying to bite at her because she was the closest viable target.

"Oh lords…" Ada whispered. "Dark Nation, we have to get the cure for you. I can't be the one to let Rufus loose his friend. Me and Leon we want to stay here." She told him softly though quite why she was doing it she was wondering. "Hang in there old boy okay?"

Dark Nation growled with a flash of red at the corner of his eyes and then slumped at the back of the cage again. Tifa walked in and looked at Ada, she watched as Dark Nation's loins quivered, was he in pain or fighting the virus?

"How long does he have?" Tifa asked her.

"I couldn't tell you, we don't even know how it will affect him since he's not a species we know anyway." Ada crossed her long legs over as she sat down opposite watching. "Rufus not really much of a socialite then?"

"If you mean does he party then he does but," Tifa looked over at her and smiles, "he doesn't keep friends. It can't be easy to know that people are likely going to be friendly just because of who you are and so you might not get true friends. Dark Nation at least is there for no other reason than the man that he can trust to feed him and Rufus in turn finds unconditional love."

"He needs real friends." Ada chuckled. "Perhaps we were meant to come here, to make friends and encourage them. It would be nice to think we had a reason other than violence to be here. I think we've seen enough of that and will probably see more."

"Very true." Tifa nodded and watched as Dark Nation restlessly moved around the cage and then finally curled up in the corner, the tendril on his back whipping around nervously.

Ada watched for a while after Tifa had settled down and rested her head on the newcomers lap. Tifa liked the fact she had a woman around the place with guts and that they didn't have to put up any kind of pretence about being friendly, they simply connected well. Ada watched the hound, she wondered how Rufus would react if they couldn't help him, it seemed such a shame that the President was so isolated but she didn't really understand a lot of what had been said to them about the Sister Ray or hideous pasts. To Ada he simply seemed like a busy and lonely man.


	14. Chapter 14

"So Hojo is the guy that made your big bad? Sephiroth or whatever his name is right?" Leon made a mental check through the history they had already got. "So he's not dead and we have to find him, do we kill him?"

"That would be for Rufus or Tseng to decide." Rude said picking up the glasses; at least Hojo's seemed to stay in one piece.

Reno was always finding a way to trash his in fights or by sitting on them drunk at the bars. In fact when Rude went over the times he'd replaced his shades he had to wonder if Reno was doing it deliberately. It was the kind of mindless thing the second-to-Tseng would do, if only for his own amusement. Reno was a selfish son of a bitch but he was good at what he did.

"Can you find out?" Leon urged and watched as Elena got on to her agent and started to type out the information to their boss. It took all of five minutes to get the response, a simple 'yes'. Leon looked at the screen as she turned it around and smirked. "Well finally something I know I can do."

Cloud mumbled under his breath, he couldn't escape that bastard and Leon looked over just in time to catch the twitch in the ex-SOLDIER's lip. There was a moment or two of silence and then Cloud leant down on the floor, he spotted something glint in the light found a small earring, it was Zack's. He left his mark even now and Elena watched as he opened his palm and stared at it, he wished he could prove to Zack he'd got it right, that he'd been the hero but even now all these years later he still wondered if he was even close.

"Hojo has to be stopped, the virus could be used on thousands at a minimum and he's a crazy scientist. Look what they did to us in the name of science." He closed his hand around the earring. "Rude, Elena what clues can you give us about him from here?"

Rude looked around the area and over to some of the papers, he got Luis' notes back out and sat down to compare them all. This was going to take some thinking and he didn't spot the shuffling figure walking in to the room. Luckily Leon did and just as Cloud went to the sword he levelled and fired the shotgun, the blast made Elena jump a little but at least the thing collapsed and she continued her search.

"The notes seem to have been based on using this as a quick stop for testing. There's going to be another city used." Rude threw the open notes towards Cloud.

"Then we need to find out which one and get there." He nodded.

"I think I have the answer gentlemen." Elena looked up over her shoulder from a draw and turned around; she flipped out an old box of matches with the hotel name on the front.

"Where is it?" Leon reloaded his shotgun.

"I think it's going to be a mess if I am right." Elena whispered. "It's Kalm."

"Holy…" Cloud's face paled. "I sincerely hope you are wrong." He looked to Rude. "Get us transport, fast."

Rude nodded and patched through to Reno who had barely got out of the airspace in the time they had before being called back around. Reno landed an hour later and the group got on-board without another word. The redhead slid out of the chopper for a moment and lit up looking around. What a shithole… he yawned, he needed sleep and he was about to fly out to Kalm. Wonderful.

"Hey partner you ready?" Rude leant over.

"Sure," he flicked his smoke away, "what's with the rush? Surely it takes time to set up labs and crap anyway. I need to fucking sleep soon at least you lot can crash on my bird." He yawned and stretched.

"Just do your usual." Rude grumbled. "Shoot up and deal with it." With that he got into the bird and settled with the others.

Reno sighed and slid into the seat, he pulled off and Leon noted none of the jests and jibes were apparent. Rude had hit a sore spot, Reno was in and out of rehab like a basketball through hoops. His partner had already kicked the living daylights out of him once and it had been enough to keep him straight for the last year or so. He didn't want to bring up old troubles so he just yawned, grabbed an energy drink and headed out to Kalm.

Rude felt bad for snapping at him, Reno had been through enough already. Four years prior to this he'd been the one that had sat on watch when the President had been blown up in a bomb, the situation had spiralled into madness with Reeve and Vincent Valentine fronting the worst of it whilst the redhead watched Rufus on a breathing bypass machine. Effectively Rufus should have died but had somehow come back and Rude wondered if it was what had set Reno off down that track originally.

In the end Cloud took the plunge and slid into the co-pilots seat, he looked over the scores of old pictures from long lost friends and allies. He looked at the picture Reno had of Zack with Sephiroth.

"A bit nostalgic for you Reno." He looked over at him.

"Pays to remember you survived yo." Reno shrugged as they came over towards Kalm, the lights were bright in the night sky.


	15. Chapter 15

Rufus came in to the veterinarian's the next morning to explain where the men had headed and to check on Dark Nation. He was worried and he didn't like to admit it at all to anyone. Tseng followed quietly behind him, his phone bleeping away with various updates on positions from the on-board navigations and the systems filtering the days news for anything he might need to deflect.

"Good morning President." Tifa slid to her feet; he looked so much older when he was worried and tired.

"Good morning Miss Lockheart." He smiled a little and then spotted Ada coming around. "Good morning Miss Wong."

Ada smiled and stood up and headed to look at the cage where Dark Nation was sweating heavily and growling under his breath. Tseng moved forward and ignoring the danger put his hand through the bars, the old boy didn't deserve this. Dark Nation gave him a warning growl but didn't move as Tseng's hand ran over his body.

"Sorry old boy…" Tseng looked at Rufus who nodded and turned away to head outside.

"NO!" Tifa grabbed at Tseng's hand. "Don't you dare hurt him!"

"He's going to suffer more in the long run. We can't get the antidote… he's dying already Tifa." Tseng's resolve was absolute. "Rufus can't watch him suffer any longer."

"Tseng." Ada moved a little closer to him, her hand going to his gun side. "Why not give the boys just a little longer? They are working to save him." Her eyes were soft, seductive and Tseng looked at her for the briefest moment. "Thank you." She smirked as she took his gun.

"You'll only ever pull that trick on me once woman." Tseng's expression hardened for a second before softening again. "But I guess once is enough for the hound."

"Thank you." Tifa nodded. "If he turns and they can't save him I'll even load the bullets but Rufus is doing this because he can't cope with not having control of the situation and it scares him. You know that's why."

Rufus didn't hear the gun, he wondered if Tseng had pulled out when his head Turk came to tell him the news and that the women had a good point. Rufus sighed, he headed back in and ignoring Tseng's advice to keep his hand free put it in the cage door. If he was honest it was suicidal but that was fine.

"How long does it take the virus if you are human?"

"About two days I thin…" Ada knew the second she answered she'd made a mistake. Rufus yanked hard on Dark Nation's tendril, the already bothered hound did something he'd never have done before and bit his master.

"Now you have a better timeline." Rufus muttered as he walked out.

Tseng wanted to shout and yell but he knew Rufus so well, the arrogant stubborn man would never let him do that in public without a severe reprimand. Tifa looked to Ada and sighed, Rufus just didn't seem to care about anything, anyone or himself at times. Ada took her hand and checking the cage one last time came out to follow the two men.

"Rufus?" Tifa called to him and the blond turned around rubbing his hand. "Why did you have to do that?"

"I didn't have to. I wanted to. My Turks will rally faster and maybe Dark Nation will get what he needs but either way they will be incensed to stop Hojo. Nothing else matters."

"Hojo?" Tifa looked into his eyes, no smug and jovial signs of him enjoying the trials as usual, he was seriously worried. "Oh Rufus…" She sighed.

"Don't spare sympathy or pretend to care about me." Rufus opened his phone up and looked at her. "Because if you do that will only make it harder for me."

"I understand." Tifa turned away but kept close to Ada as Rufus made his call.

"Reno," Rufus took a breath, "I have the T-Virus. You have forty eight hours to find Hojo and the antidote. I don't care how you do it, just do it."

"Sir!" Reno's voice carried out in shock over the room. "How?"

"Dark Nation bit me. It was my own fault I am sorry to worry you."

"Rufus you idiot." Reno muttered. "See you in thirty six." He hung up and looked to Cloud. "I think I'm suddenly awake."

"I hear you." Cloud nodded. "He did that on purpose didn't he?"

"Of course." Reno landed them. "Now we have to find the blasted stuff even faster and he knows it."

"Clever man." Leon injected his thoughts.

"Yeah you try working for the so-called genius." Elena said sarcastically.

"Well if he survives maybe I will." Leon waited until the chopper landed before hopping down.


	16. Chapter 16

The group landed in Kalm and Reno slid down with the others, he headed straight for the Inn and booked a room they could use. No one asked questions and he was glad they just took the cash and left him to it.

"Get the beers in." Reno told Rude snappy over the previous comment.

"Sure partner." Rude headed over and ordered something to drink, he was in no position to piss Reno off any more. He heard a phone going and looked down, flipped it open and waited.

"It's Tseng. I know you are in Kalm so I'm going to ask you to make sure that Leon isn't left alone. We still hardly know him and I don't want the President at any more risk. I'm going to be with him until I either have to make plans to finish him off or you get an antidote, for your sakes Rude you better make sure it is the latter."

"Understood." Rude closed the phone and headed to where Leon and Cloud were outside asking people around the market square about anything unusual.

"This is ridiculous we're running after them not meeting this guy head on." Cloud sighed, he was getting fed up with chasing ghosts, he didn't like this and he just wanted to be able to meet the problem and go home. Nothing was ever simple with Rufus and his goons following along.

"Any suggestions about speeding this up?" Rude asked as he walked over to them, Cloud looked at him, was he really thinking the same thing? "I'm going to take us into the mines. There was an old holding bay for the monsters that came in around there. If they needed somewhere to keep this virus that would be it."

Cloud looked at Rude thinking that may well have been the longest speech he'd heard from the Turk in years. He nodded and looked to Leon, it made sense. Reno came following having got his own beer down his throat. Elena had agreed to keep a base in the room and rang Ada and Tifa to tell them the plans.

Reno followed, hands in pockets and wondered why he was always dragged into the messy side like this. Even when he was in charge during Tseng's absence he seemed to be the one that managed to put himself into the position of getting his ass kicked. Reno watched as Leon and Cloud walked towards the mines, both of them were so damned serious and Reno found his life was spent trying to avoid that. If he stopped to think about what he had actually done… well…

"Come on lazy." Rude clapped his back as they passed, Reno smirked and caught him up, he looked up at him. "Okay so you're not lazy."

"No I'm good at this crap." He snorted as he passed him. "I better get to blow something up or this is going to be a boring mission."

"You just want me to make you see fireworks. Good job you're straight or I might start to wonder."

"Ah I just like making jokes to either party." Reno shrugged; it always amused him when a man gave him the 'did I just hear that' look. "T-virus… man Rufus can't just let us do our job can he? Spoilt bastard."

"Spoilt bastard that pays our wages." Rude mumbled in reminder.

Cloud looked over at them with a smirk, the conversation had not been missed on him. Leon turned to look at them both and laughed, it seemed that no matter where you ended up there was always someone with more money than sense but this President seemed to actually almost enjoy the danger too much, even from his experience.

"What makes you stay if he's that much trouble?" Leon asked them. The two Turks looked at one another, both opened their mouths. "Well?"

"I guess the Prez just has that kinda charisma." Reno shrugged. "Besides who else is going to pay us to pop cooks and blow shit up?" Rude smirked as his agreement.

"You know," Leon nodded, "that sort of makes sense."

With the pleasantries over they headed back towards the mines and into the dark tunnels, the group pulled their torches except for Cloud who positioned himself at the front and got ready to lay waste to any thing that tried to foolishly get in their way. Leon looked around, the mines were already in disrepair, water dripped down the moss covered walls and the sounds of vermin scurrying did not go amiss.

Cloud's hand rested on the sword and he wondered honestly if the problems of this world would ever truly go away. Long after Cloud had gone would Shinra still be fighting for dominance and hurting the planet? This T-virus was another in a long history of troubles coming to the group of people, that all had a connection to the Calamity in one way or another.

"You seem to have a look on your face that says you're thinking way too much." Reno opened his mouth after a period of silence.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" Leon looked over at him.

"All the time." Reno smirked. "But for your info, when you're as damned good as me at your job you get away with it."

"I've yet to see you be any good at anything but mouthing off or flying." Leon muttered and Cloud gave a faint smile.

"That's cos I got you people for that." Reno quipped.

"Reno enough." Cloud sighed. "I'll go left with Rude, you and Leon can head around the right hand side. We should come to the steel entry doors and can head in from two angles."

"Okay," Reno nodded, "come on pretty boy you're with me."

"Pretty boy?" Leon's eyes widened. He'd never been called that before.


	17. Chapter 17

Leon headed around the right with the redhead who was still stuck with the most annoying smirk on his face. The strange thing was the more the cocky little git did it, the more inclined Leon felt to smile too and that wasn't going to help him concentrate one iota. Leon moved ahead of the grinning Turk and pulled out his flash-light. They found a room with a nest of the blasted creatures.

"Wow work time." Reno dropped the grin and pulled out his EMR.

"A stick won't take them out." Leon looked at him.

"Maybe not in your hands mate." Reno shrugged and flipped a little materia ball into his hand. "I reckon this will fix us up a treat though."

"What is that?" Leon caught the ball as it flipped out of the redheads hands and into the air.

"Ah yeah you got no idea yo... Materia."

"The president used it via a gun right?"

"Yeah that's the stuff. We put it in armour and weapons to help, some summon gods and whatnot and some is for healing." Reno took the shining ball back. "This one my friend is a pyramid." He cast the familiar materia letting it course through his body and finally several of the corpses were caught in the yellow pyramids.

"Can they get out?"

"Only if something else whacks them hard enough but we're going to blow them up." Reno set down the chord around them and fished out the relevant goodies from his pocket. "Don't worry I mostly know what I'm doing."

"Mostly?" Leon look at him suspiciously.

"Well if you see me running... run too." Reno laughed and moved back with the line and looked at him. "Oh come on lighten up." And with that he set the charge. "I like the noise..."

"I am sure that if anything else hears it too we'll be sure to notice as they eat us!" Leon rolled his eyes and checked his weapon again.

Reno lit the area with a happy chuckle, as the blast ripped through the pyramid caught creatures and limbs, blood and insides splattered the mine walls with a wet thud and slap. Leon shook his head, were they all this insane? He wasn't sure he wanted to know but then again he had to enjoy a spark of his own work surely? Reno moved in and checked the cave before nodding and walking past the strewn parts and down the next set of tunnels.

Leon followed him silently watching as the second in command of the Turks continued along the winding tunnels. He wondered if Cloud and Rude had got anywhere close to clues when they found steel doors blocking the pathway on. Reno took a look at the large doors, they were going to need one of Rude's home made specials for that he was sure.

Cloud discovered that of all the people he could just about stomach to work with, from the Turks, that the quiet bald guy was the one. He wasn't keen on the knowledge that he liked Tifa but how could he mention that if he never told the woman how he felt anyway? They had taken out a fair few of the straggling beasts and Rude had even pulled him back from one as the head detached suddenly and the monster crawled out and towards them.

"What the? Holy you think you've seen everything…" Cloud panted a little, his heart thundering in his chest. "Okay… I have to know how do you work with Reno so well?"

"Honestly?" Rude looked over at him. "If you get past the cocksure crap he's a good guy. Just don't tell him I said that. It sounds a bit… girly."

Cloud clapped his back and smiled at the big man before they headed on again. They rounded a corner and came to a set a dead end. Rude rolled his eyes under his shades and headed back again. Cloud wanted to know why they had become an almost fetish-like symbol for the guy but held back. In the end they retraced their steps and wandered towards the other two men.

Reno and Leon were about to call through to Rude to tell him that they wanted to try and blow the place, but just like magic they rounded the corner. Both sides had the chance to explain the situation and compare notes regarding their kills. Rude looked over at the doors and grunted, he had what he needed material wise he just needed the time to make it.

Reno slid down along the wall and sat on his ass, he watched Rude kit out on the floor. Cloud found himself mildly interested in what General Affairs would produce. Reno lit up a cigarette and Leon watched him more cautiously, here they were in an explosive making situation and the redhead was smoking! Leon looked at Cloud who just shrugged, he was used to the reckless Turks and their President, he just wasn't happy about getting crossed over with their troubles all the time.

Reno leant over when the bomb was made up and stood up again. Rude nodded to them to get clear and having set the charge and timer the redhead appeared around the corner with him. The doors went up with a crescendo of rocks and metal shards from the door. The Turks look at one another pleased, Cloud rolled his eyes and Leon wondered why they couldn't be more subtle, the effect of the whole affair was to leave the room wide open for investigation.

"So who wants to go first?" Rude looked at them.

"I think Leon should, he knows the information that will be relevant." Reno nodded to him.

"Okay." Leon moved in, the smoke cleared and he had to admit that he was impressed, the blue suits seemed to know what to do and when. Reno was right he had the better knowledge for the job, he scanned the area and spotted a small dossier under a keyboard. He lifted it up and turned the pages slowly. "Luis Seras' reports? How did... how did they get here?"

"I shall say I suspect it came from the same place that this did." Cloud held up a disc. "This is Hojo's handwriting which means we closing in but not fast enough."

Reno heard the movement from the other side of the office, a trapdoor that they hadn't accounted for sprung open and a body swiftly ran towards it. Just as it was second nature to Reno to mouth off it was second nature for him to be a fast mover, shooting at the body he heard the familiar wet thud of a bullet into flesh and turned to check how good his hit was.

Cloud's eyes were the first to widen when he spotted a black wing erupting from the back of a body and stepped back almost panicked. There was a flash of red leather, a muffled yell of pain as the body crashed below and a bloody smear as the victim caught the edge of the open trapdoor and fell down. For a moment no one moved and then all hell broke loose as Cloud leapt down after it.


	18. Chapter 18

"Cloud!" Reno dived down with him seconds later, the Turk's last sign of being there was the last of a slither of red hair going into the tunnel with them. Leon grabbed the discs from the table and then nodded to Rude as they followed.

"Genesis!" Cloud ran after him, the tunnel making it hard work to keep him in sight. "Genesis if that's you please... please stop!"

"Isn't he part of the problems?" Leon looked at Rude as they ran along, his gun out ready to take a shot at anything that got in the way.

"He was dead..." Cloud muttered as they rounded a cave complex. "He... he was one of the people that..." Cloud looked down, his hand went to his pocket to the trinket he had picked up of Zack's earlier. A barrage of memories came to the blond, the death of his best friend, Avalanche, Sephiroth and slowly but surely he realised that he had sank to his knees in the damp cave.

"Cloud." Reno leant down, his eyes softer. "It may be a clone, a remnant okay?" His voice was compassionate and Cloud never imagined he'd hear it. "And if not maybe he can help lead us to end this okay?"

"You're right." Cloud sighed and stood up, now was not the time to dwell on past actions or what could have been. He picked himself up and clapped the redheads shoulder with his hand, they began the long trek down the unknown passageway.

Genesis ran down through the tunnels hoping to get to the makeshift bunker. Genesis couldn't even remember why he was here, he should have been in the lifestream and then suddenly out of nowhere came a hideous sense of, well, life! The ex-Soldier had fought until finally it was past that and all that had been required was the slipping of his soul back to the core of the world's energy, back to the essence of the planet but Hojo had other plans. The sick bastard had found a way to re-host him in a body and every time the creature, no the monster, that he had become tried to rebel it caused hideous pain.

Cloud heard a slamming of a door and they ran towards it. Genesis stumbled into the room and slid into the chair, had Hojo brought him back merely as a distraction? He sighed and slid down into the seat and closed his eyes. They were coming there was no point in trying to escape, could he fight Cloud? The Turks he would be able to take out but he knew nothing of the other human either.

"Slow down," Leon moved to the door, "is he to be considered hostile?"

"Yes." Cloud said without a second thought, the notion was backed up by the two Turks who nodded eagerly behind him. "He's invariably linked to that bastard Hojo, it's all you need to know."

Leon nodded before standing back and letting the blond open the door. Reno and Rude covered his back and looked at one another,, Reno's eyes searching his partner to see if he was moving in first or not. Rude shrugged, Reno motioned and Cloud ignored them both by stepping in and preparing to take his sword.

"Don't... waste your time." Genesis looked up at him. "It's not like either of us wanted to meet." The once proud Genesis swaggered to his feet and threw the chair towards the blond. "Get out of here before you end up in another experiment you don't want... that neither of us wanted."

Leon's gun was poised ready to take a shot at the new player to the field, Cloud raised his hand and stepped forwards. Genesis' hand went to his sword, both of them not wanting to be the first to strike. Reno moved behind Leon, why didn't people who should have been dead just damned well stay it? Sephiroth, Genesis... and more annoyingly why hadn't the ones he liked been saved? Say like Zack... yeah he liked that overly cheerful son-of-a-gun he had to admit. Rude watched the redheads fingers idle over his EMR and for a moment no one moved.

"Where is he?" Leon broke the silence, sentimentality came after the President was made safe. "You have all the data for the T-Virus which means you have the antidote."

"I can't tell you that." Genesis looked at him, the mako eyes dead and empty.

"Genesis you rebelled at every stage of this Holy damned war with Shinra so now you can rebel again. Hojo caused your death one way or another so please, please will you tell us?" Reno looked at him. "This virus will kill thousands. You can stop that."

"Hojo has..." Genesis grabbed his stomach and clutched at the desk, a searing pain rolling through the already weakened body. "I can't tell you."

"Then we'll beat it out of you." Cloud mumbled and stepped forwards but his heart wasn't in it, the idea of fighting him felt wrong. "How did you come back?"

"I don't know..." Genesis stumbled into the desk. Papers and files flew everywhere and the sword clattered across the office floor. "I woke up on a table in a lab. I thought I could find..." Again the pain rippled through his body, his stomach turning knots and Cloud caught him before he collapsed.

"He's got to be controlled by something, has Hojo given you any orders?" Leon interjected.

"I can't tell you that!" Genesis said barely standing.

Reno patched through to Elena, they needed to detain him and potentially it could draw out Hojo more. They needed that guy fast, they needed the antidote before they lost their President. Cloud looked at Genesis, taking him would mean more scrutiny and what was to say they didn't want to just kill him? Leon moved in the way and looked at them all.

"Take him into the main square and hold him out for Hojo to see. Bind his mouth, make out you worked a way around getting him to talk. Say you'll exchange him for the antidote." Reno said looking at them.

"Isn't that a bit of a cruel trade Reno?" Leon looked at him.

"That's how they work." Cloud muttered.

"Look we don't have to do it just make it sound like it. And we only need a sample to clone not necessarily a batch of the stuff right?" Reno lit up a smoke and looked at them. "Well does anyone else have a suggestion?"

"Sadly... no." Cloud sighed and looked at Leon.

"Nope. No great wisdom here." Leon shrugged.

"Yay me..." Genesis whispered. "I'm bait for both sides, the gift of the godd..."

"Quote Loveless within the next ten minutes I'll ram this sword so far up your ass you'll be skewering river rat on it to eat for months." Cloud mumbled in disdain which sent Reno into a fit of laughter, followed promptly by coughing as the smoke went the wrong way down his throat.


	19. Chapter 19

Genesis spent the rest of the trip to the centre of the town grumbling behind the gag as they paraded him upwards. It was worse than humiliating and to top it off Cloud seemed to know more about him than he knew about the blond. Cloud watched him, Zack had spoken of the three like they were gods once and it made his soul fall to think that so much had gone so wrong. He had idolised Sephiroth too and now... it was a constant sad battle that he wished had never come. He had failed Aerith and now he might fail Tifa.

Reno and Rude made a show of dragging Genesis into the centre of the town square. It didn't take much for the once proud Soldier to fall to his knees and Leon looked around the area. This Hojo was an abject coward by the sounds of it, but the stories about the creatures he created, or the monsters he desired, sent a shiver down his spine. The things these so-called scientists were willing to do just caused problems.

Hojo watched from the building he was stationed in and smirked, he pushed his glasses up his nose a little and chuckled. Those idiots thought he'd go and put his life at risk for something discarded years ago? No, Genesis was just a perfect distraction to the cause. What he needed was a large enough crowd of people for the virus to be tested on and the Turks presence was going to disrupt it.

Reno shooed a few stragglers from around the town square and looked over at the ex-Soldier who was struggling to stand up. The closer he got to the scientist the more pain he was in, whatever Hojo had done it was starting to seriously burn through him. Genesis collapsed on the floor and Hojo had to reserve a cackle. Would his mako fight off the T-virus he'd planted, what a curiosity!

"Reno this is just hurting him please..." Cloud leant down and put his arms around Genesis' chest. "This will not work."

"We got nothing else right now." Rude mumbled.

Genesis yelled as the virus ripped through every cell in his body and cells that had not been infected banded around against them, the mako recognising the invading force and trying to destroy it left the ex-Soldier screaming as the very core of his being was argued over. Hojo couldn't help it, the inquisitive bastard had to see this for himself. He moved forwards to the window, it was all Leon needed.

He saw the flash of spectacles as the sun caught over it and ignoring the plight of the man, he assumed was ready to die, he ran through the street and kicked the door open. Reno spotted Leon's movement and looked to Cloud, Cloud nodded, he would stay with Genesis, someone who needed to survive. Cloud found he wanted to save him, wanted to ask him about the days when Sephiroth was a hero and someone Zack idolised. His eyes lowered as he heard the ground rumble around them, more of the creatures were coming. Cloud pulled his sword and prepared.

Reno sighed, there was never an easy day on the field. He ran behind Leon covering him with a few well timed whacks from the EMR as a couple of the creatures came into sight. Leon nodded and kicked open the door as Hojo ran behind them via the back exit and into the street. Leon grabbed at his coat and Hojo broke free but Reno ran along the side of the wall, past Leon and slammed into him. Both men landed in a heap in the garden, Reno whacked the back of the scientists head, and pinned him down.

"Leon..." Reno mumbled trying to keep Hojo to the ground. "Cuffs, back pocket."

Leon leant down and ran his hands to the Turk's pocket, collected the cuffs and put them around Hojo before unceremoniously bringing him to his feet. He didn't even know him but he hated him already, he even looked like a snivelling wretch. Reno stood up pointlessly attempted to tidy himself up and Leon had to admit, as annoying as the redhead could be he was definitely put in the position, he was for being good at what he did. Leon stood corrected.

"Let's get this piece of crap back to head office. We need that antidote." Reno muttered.

"Who said I will make that for you?" Hojo's smug voice hit them.

"Because dickwad I will make you yo." Reno looked into his eyes. "I ain't wasting time discussing it right now."

Leon marched Hojo back towards the central square where Cloud had spent the time well, he had mopped up several groups of the strange things and put his boot into the head of the last one left as they came around. He was covered from head to foot in blood and Reno's eyes softened for a moment remembering Zack and the mess they were both in when the troubles with Genesis and his people started before. Cloud looked away from Reno and down to where Genesis was on his knees, he had tried to fight off the creatures as the strange virus rippled through him but he was too weak to move and had collapsed over Rude's feet.

"We got to try and get these two to the lab, call in Soldier to mop this up." Reno told the big guy.

Cloud lifted up Genesis and ignoring the scientist he got him into the helicopter as Reno ran his checks. Rude called through to HQ to get Soldier deployed and Leon kept close to Hojo, he wasn't letting him go now he had him. Reno then looked over, took off and pulled the radio around to let Tseng know what they had.

"He'll make the antidote." Tseng said solemnly. "Because I'll torture it out of the weak son of a bitch if I have too."

"I told him the same boss." Reno smirked as they took off. "Is there any news on Dark Nation?"

"Nothing new. Anything else I should know?"

Reno found he didn't know how to answer it, there was such a long history and his mind went to lost colleagues, friends, for some they had lost families and lovers. The trio had been idols until their rebellion, before Zack was pulled so far down there was no return. Reno paused and said prompted him with a subtle mumble down the phone.

"Just clear the holding bay you're going to want to see the rest yourself." He said thinking of Genesis and took off the headset, he flew the rest of the way in silence.


	20. Chapter 20

Ada and Tifa were told they were all coming home, all of the Turks were ordered into the office with Rufus and Tseng sat patiently on top of the desk. Rufus's legs swung back and forth as he waited, he'd has a real good lecture off the head Turk and was waiting for Reeve to find out and let loose too. Reeve wandered in, Cait Sith behind him, Tseng's lip curled, he hated that damned machine.

"Quite the crowd we have here." He put the robotic cat on the desk. "What's going on?"

Ada looked at Reeve and had to look away as her cheeks flushed, everyone around here just looked so damned hot. She was wishing they could stay just for the eyeful of fun each day. Slowly Reno, Rude, Elena, everyone that had been involved managed to get in, Leon still had the iron grip on Hojo, the scientist was slowly coming around.

"Wait..." Elena said softly as Tseng leapt to his feet. "There's more and I think you should sit down to hear it."

"Not much bothers me and you know it." Tseng looked at her his expression still unchanged, though inwardly he was very curious.

"You never were one to listen to others." Genesis said sweating and stumbling into the room helped by Cloud. He looked at Tseng who for the first time in years looked surprised by something. "She warned you."

"I..." Tseng was beyond surprised. "Ho... when..."

Cloud helped him to sit on the chair. The virus continued to try and work through his system and Genesis doubled over again. He had thought that Hojo had found a way to control him but compared to the current problems that would have been a blissful answer. Cloud leant down to help him but Rufus levelled the gun and motioned him away.

"He's defected from my company in the past." The young President kept the gun fixed on Genesis.

"Oh nothing changes." Cloud grumbled his hand ready for his sword.

"Rufus..." Tifa put her hand to his arm. "You told us yourself... things never should have gone that far. Don't set your company and you back years, okay?"

"It's okay..." Genesis wheezed and sat on the floor, he couldn't sit on the chair it just made it impossible to concentrate on the talk and staying upright. "Rufus is correct we did a lot of damage." Rufus however put the gun back and prepared himself to listen.

"You need the antidote. Let's cut the history lesson short." Leon prompted them.

"I don't have to make it. I should be able to name my price." Hojo grimaced.

"Tseng you know my rules." Rufus slid to his feet. "And make sure you patch Genesis up too."

"What... what rules?" Hojo looked at the Turks who suddenly seemed quite eager to get off their seats like hounds at feeding times.

"By any means necessary." Tseng's expression darkened. "I'll take this one." He dragged Hojo by the handcuffs out of the room.

Leon looked at them, and then to Ada, he walked over and checked she was okay. Tifa sighed, Cloud was more interested in the SOLDIER than he would ever be in her. Cloud spotted her look and put Genesis against the wall, moved over and kissed her lips softly. Tifa's moan was almost sexual when he finally let go of her. She had just wanted to be noticed by him so much.

Tseng didn't care and dragged Hojo down into a back room where he locked the door and threw him into a chair. If Hojo wanted to test his patience he would find that when it came to Shinra's name being kept in one piece there was none. Tseng's fist connected under the jaw, a crack came into Hojo's head like a firework going off, he yelled in pain.

"You don't need to talk to write down a formula." Tseng said his voice cold, he removed his jacket and hung it on the back of the door. "Come to think of it you only really need one eye and one hand don't you?"

"I won't be forced." Hojo managed to stumble out of the already painful mouth.

"Then it will be a long night for both of us, but only one of us is going to come out alive if that is the case." Tseng sat at the table opposite and regarded the scientist with complete disdain, this was a man who had caused ripples in the security and name of Shinra. He hated him.

"This is it, you're waiting it to death are you?" Hojo taunted him. "You can't kill me and I'm not going to help your president. There's simply nothing in it for me."

"I had an inkling you would say that." Tseng smirked, he pulled the pen from Hojo's shirt and with lightning reflexes pulled the bastard's hands to the table and stabbed through the scientist's hand with the metallic bound object.

Hojo screamed, the pen slid through muscle and bone and landed in the table fixing him there. Tseng's eyes lit up, he was enjoying it and Hojo knew that this was just the start. He'd been caught and unless by some miracle he escaped it would never end, Vincent and so many people had been involved in his experiments, such a shame not one of them turned out to be what he had required. All of them were useless rejects and now his latest subject had been placed in their hands, after he'd gone to all that trouble to resurrect him.

"I won't tell you!" He yelled back at Tseng who simply leant over and took the remaining pen and looked down towards his gut, seemingly working out where he could hit next without taking the old guy down. "What... what are..."

"Shut up, unless it's the antidote I am the only one talking here." Tseng stood up and pushed the chair around so that his hands were pinned at an awkward angle, his foot rested again Hojo's hip and he took another cursory glance at the pen. "It's going to make an awful popping noise and I'm guessing it will be deafening in that head of yours..."


	21. Chapter 21

Cloud took Genesis to the old Soldier area and lay him down with Ada and Leon's help. Ada took Tifa's hand as they wandered down and sighed. All of them in one way or another had become so hardened to the horrors of the worlds that they had forgotten to smile, to enjoy life and now they were watching someone who had come back from the dead struggle to survive a second time. Ada couldn't believe the world they were in, so much to learn and all of it was just beyond imagination to her.

"If he rests we might be able to keep him comfortable long enough to see if the mako will combat the virus." Cloud leant down and tucked him in. "I can't believe he's alive..."

"And you're thinking of Zack aren't you?" Tifa said softly. "Why Genesis and not him?"

"Yes." Cloud nodded, he looked down at Genesis. He felt guilty that he could think that way. Poor Genesis had also been nothing but a victim of Sephirtoth, Jenova... all of them. "I hope they don't just lock him up the second this is sorted out."

"Rufus doesn't strike me as a person to do that." Tifa interjected. "He's not his father Cloud."

"Let's see." He sat down and waited with Genesis.

Leon looked to Ada, there was little they could do here and so they headed past the main office where Rufus was sat going over reports as though nothing were wrong. This man had already survived Geostigma and seemed to take the idea of dying rather lightly on the face of things. Internally however Rufus was worried, this was something he'd done to himself and the more of the reports he'd read the less happy he had become with himself.

Reno went to his office, cleared the desk and put his head down. T-virus, zombies... it all sounded like a fucked up horror movie and boy had he watched a fair few of those! The redhead was dozing off when Rude put his apology on the desk in the form of a mug of steaming coffee. Reno nodded to him, it wasn't like he had to apologise and the redhead had been friends with him long enough that quibbles and bites would bounce after the moment.

"Boss okay?"

"Not really but you know Rufus, he'll not say." Rude murmured.

"Yeah..." Reno smiled a little. "But Tseng's got the new toy and I wouldn't wanna even be the fly on the wall for that."

"Second that motion." Rude nodded.

They waited in silence after that, Reno nodded off on his desk and Elena sat with Rude. The Turks had seen a lot and trouble followed them around, but waiting was the part none of them liked. Reno drifted to sleep thinking of various pleasant things, mostly involving Ada and Tifa in his bed.

It turned into the early hours of the morning when Tseng surfaced from the holding cells, he had managed to extract a fair bit of information from Hojo. The Turk straightened his jacket and checked that his shirt was covered from the blood before heading down and stirring Rufus.

"Sir..." He watched the groggy response from the man at the desk. "We can start some work off. Here is what I can get from Hojo but they will need to check if it is close to what they are expecting. If he's provided you anything less than correct I will see to it the matter is addressed."

"Thanks." Rufus mumbled, he was about to stand up to go to wake the others when they heard a strange noise from behind them, Dark Nation had worked out how to move himself around and the smell coming off the beast made him feel sick. "What on Gaia is that... smell?"

"That's your hound sir." Tseng moved cautiously forwards, he didn't want Rufus to get bitten or the strange mutation to have infected him and Rufus see it. He leant over and took Dark Nation by his collar. "Come on boy." He dragged him off towards one of the cells in the med lab. "We can test this antidote on you."

"No tests on Dark Nation." Rufus said with his mouth covered over by his jacket sleeve.

"Then who? You? I don't think so. Rufus you have this unnerving knack of pissing me off at times. I'm covered in blood and I got what you needed. Let them do what they do best, if you don't then you may end up being gunned down as a rabid beast." He took Dark Nation outside.

Rufus sat down again and looked at the notes Tseng had slapped on his desk, the writing from Hojo was scrawled, panicked and there were brown stains from where blood had been caught on the edges. For some people Rufus had genuine sorrow for the work the Turks exacted, sometimes they were too heavy handed but they were paid to protect the company image and he didn't ask how. Rufus had enough sin on his hands.

Tseng took Dark Nation down and then waited outside the cell watching him. Tseng really didn't care how the job got done as long as it did; impassive brown eyes watched the beast prowl around the cell and finally fall down on his side, breathing laboured and strained. Tseng checked his gun and waited, he'd been through enough to remain cynical that they would rescue the hound, really he wasn't bothered as long as the President survived.

"You never seem to say a lot." Ada said appearing near him, she had taken a break from the watch on Genesis. "Do you have anything outside of Shinra that interests you?"

"Cars." Tseng told her bluntly, without too much elaboration on them.

"Fast cars? Classic..." She had to know something about him, what an enigma.

"Fast, anything that drifts. I like drifting." He watched her, she was a beautiful woman, she'd loose that grace one day, unlike Aerith, she hadn't even been given that chance. He looked away from her.

"You're thinking of someone aren't you? Not Rufus I mean... those aren't just cold eyes, you're dead inside." Ada stood up. "I feel sorry for you all, tired and worn out. You need something to be passionate about Tseng."

"You made a judgement on a short few interactions. Don't define me by my suit." He stood up. "Watch Dark Nation, I need to shower."

"I don't work for you Tseng." Ada scoffed, he needed to loosen up she was sure.

"Not yet." He let out a wry grin and headed to clean up.


	22. Chapter 22

The scientists took the antidote over to the cell where Dark Nation had fallen back to sleep. Tseng took the vial and moved to the door. He was going to be the one to do this and Ada sat up from her side seat and came to the door, Dark Nation looked up as the syringe went into the vial and grumbled.

"Just let me do it without taking my hand and we'll still be talking at the end." Tseng flicked the side and cleared the air from the tube.

"Do you want me to hold him?" Ada looked at the dark haired man.

"Yes please." He shifted in and pulled Dark Nation to his feet.

Ada took the hounds collar and nodded to him, she was nervous she had to admit but this was for the good of thousands. If they had even the slightest hope she was willing to risk the dog bite. Tseng pulled the scruff of his collar up and jabbed the needle in, plunging the liquid down and holding tight. Ada held him too avoiding a snap at her arm just in time, Tseng nodded, she was faster than he gave her credit for, then again Tseng's credit ran low to anyone outside of his blue suited department.

Dark Nation let out the rest of his protests loudly, very loudly, and he didn't make any reservations about aiming the spit and snarl at the two people shoving some accursed needle into his neck. Ada snickered a little, he was quite like Rufus after all, saying what he liked and damn anyone else. Tseng looked at her a little curious about what could be funny in a situation like this but didn't pursue it, he let Dark Nation go and moved him back into the holding pen.

"How will we know?" He folded his arms, Ada's eyes swept down from behind, under that suit he was probably quite an impressive build. She shook her head, she was supposed to be concentrating on the beast.

"Oh well the eyes, the red looking mist around his eyeballs should clear up I think. Leon would know best he already went through it."

"Could you fetch Mr Kennedy then?" Ada nodded noting that Tseng was used to barking an order and getting what he demanded. He must be a bloody strong leader to deal with the redhead, then again he had already surprised her too, when it came down to it the Turks were good at what they did.

Ada headed up to see Leon watching Genesis again, the guy was a curiosity, the mako interested the ex-policeman. The stuff seemed to be a whole ethical debate that he could never have imagined possible, using the planets life-force, magic, potions that could help bring people from the point of death... it was, it was just too damned interesting to want to go back to the USA. Leon had seen a lot already, now he was being given a chance to see more: he was taking it.

Leon left with a little reluctance and headed up to where the oversized pet was flat out on his side. Tseng had washed up and locked the door and looked over as they walked in, Ada smiled to the stern faced Wutai man before walking the cell door. Dark Nation looked over, the strange yellow eyes looked back at them both wondering why he was being poked, prodded and now stared at. Humans were weird things at times.

"Well his eyes look clear and he's not panting like he was." Leon put his hand out and the old beast licked his hand. "I would think it's worked to be honest so you can take a sample of his blood to be double sure."

"Good." Tseng handed him the syringe. "I'm done poking around with dogs for now. I'm not paid for this."

"I thought you were paid to do the stuff no one else will?" Ada winked, teasing him a little.

"And if I don't want to I send the redhead in." He smirked a little.

"Makes sense." She laughed and watched as Leon took the sample. She hoped it was the last one as Rufus was running on borrowed time too and any setbacks could cost the President his life.

The sample was sent off and Tseng was about to order the Turks home when someone from the lower holding bay hit the alert button. All of the Turks leapt to their feet, EMR's, guns and other weaponry swiftly came to their hands. The drill was simple, secure the President and then neutralise the problem.

Rufus was the first to come out of the office, his gun ready too and looked at them. Reno smirked, the boss wasn't going to let them have all the fun it was obvious. Rufus followed the suited employees to the glass elevator, the group were taken down to the lower levels where Soldier had secured an area off and their leader saluted the President.

"Status." Tseng looked at him.

"Hojo sir... there was... well it's not him in there any more I don't think." He explained and Rufus' eyes narrowed.

"The idiot! He's injected himself as well hasn't he?" Ada growled the words out, why were people who were supposedly genius scientists such idiots at times?

"Gun him down, I don't care you resolve it just do it." Rufus told them and looked at Tseng. "Resolve this."

"Yes sir." Tseng opened the door, flipped his torch on and looked over his shoulder. "Reno, Leon with me. Ada, Rude, Elena stay with Rufus just in case."

"Of course." Ada nodded and leant to kiss Leon's cheek as he headed through and the doors were locked behind them. Ada watched a few moments before turning back to Rufus, it was going to be a wait. She wanted to be with Leon but she understood that they needed people to keep the blonde safe. "Shall we go to the safe room sir?"

"No let's wait, we might have to finish it off." Rufus said a slight hint of a smile.

"I despair." Elena mumbled. "He never learns."


	23. Chapter 23

The scientists took the antidote over to the cell where Dark Nation had fallen back to sleep. Tseng took the vial and moved to the door. He was going to be the one to do this and Ada sat up from her side seat and came to the door, Dark Nation looked up as the syringe went into the vial and grumbled.

"Just let me do it without taking my hand and we'll still be talking at the end." Tseng flicked the side and cleared the air from the tube.

"Do you want me to hold him?" Ada looked at the dark haired man.

"Yes please." He shifted in and pulled Dark Nation to his feet.

Ada took the hounds collar and nodded to him, she was nervous she had to admit but this was for the good of thousands. If they had even the slightest hope she was willing to risk the dog bite. Tseng pulled the scruff of his collar up and jabbed the needle in, plunging the liquid down and holding tight. Ada held him too avoiding a snap at her arm just in time, Tseng nodded, she was faster than he gave her credit for, then again Tseng's credit ran low to anyone outside of his blue suited department.

Dark Nation let out the rest of his protests loudly, very loudly, and he didn't make any reservations about aiming the spit and snarl at the two people shoving some accursed needle into his neck. Ada snickered a little, he was quite like Rufus after all, saying what he liked and damn anyone else. Tseng looked at her a little curious about what could be funny in a situation like this but didn't pursue it, he let Dark Nation go and moved him back into the holding pen.

"How will we know?" He folded his arms, Ada's eyes swept down from behind, under that suit he was probably quite an impressive build. She shook her head, she was supposed to be concentrating on the beast.

"Oh well the eyes, the red looking mist around his eyeballs should clear up I think. Leon would know best he already went through it."

"Could you fetch Mr Kennedy then?" Ada nodded noting that Tseng was used to barking an order and getting what he demanded. He must be a bloody strong leader to deal with the redhead, then again he had already surprised her too, when it came down to it the Turks were good at what they did.

Ada headed up to see Leon watching Genesis again, the guy was a curiosity, the mako interested the ex-policeman. The stuff seemed to be a whole ethical debate that he could never have imagined possible, using the planets life-force, magic, potions that could help bring people from the point of death... it was, it was just too damned interesting to want to go back to the USA. Leon had seen a lot already, now he was being given a chance to see more: he was taking it.

Leon left with a little reluctance and headed up to where the oversized pet was flat out on his side. Tseng had washed up and locked the door and looked over as they walked in, Ada smiled to the stern faced Wutai man before walking the cell door. Dark Nation looked over, the strange yellow eyes looked back at them both wondering why he was being poked, prodded and now stared at. Humans were weird things at times.

"Well his eyes look clear and he's not panting like he was." Leon put his hand out and the old beast licked his hand. "I would think it's worked to be honest so you can take a sample of his blood to be double sure."

"Good." Tseng handed him the syringe. "I'm done poking around with dogs for now. I'm not paid for this."

"I thought you were paid to do the stuff no one else will?" Ada winked, teasing him a little.

"And if I don't want to I send the redhead in." He smirked a little.

"Makes sense." She laughed and watched as Leon took the sample. She hoped it was the last one as Rufus was running on borrowed time too and any setbacks could cost the President his life.

The sample was sent off and Tseng was about to order the Turks home when someone from the lower holding bay hit the alert button. All of the Turks leapt to their feet, EMR's, guns and other weaponry swiftly came to their hands. The drill was simple, secure the President and then neutralise the problem.

Rufus was the first to come out of the office, his gun ready too and looked at them. Reno smirked, the boss wasn't going to let them have all the fun it was obvious. Rufus followed the suited employees to the glass elevator, the group were taken down to the lower levels where Soldier had secured an area off and their leader saluted the President.

"Status." Tseng looked at him.

"Hojo sir... there was... well it's not him in there any more I don't think." He explained and Rufus' eyes narrowed.

"The idiot! He's injected himself as well hasn't he?" Ada growled the words out, why were people who were supposedly genius scientists such idiots at times?

"Gun him down, I don't care you resolve it just do it." Rufus told them and looked at Tseng. "Resolve this."

"Yes sir." Tseng opened the door, flipped his torch on and looked over his shoulder. "Reno, Leon with me. Ada, Rude, Elena stay with Rufus just in case."

"Of course." Ada nodded and leant to kiss Leon's cheek as he headed through and the doors were locked behind them. Ada watched a few moments before turning back to Rufus, it was going to be a wait. She wanted to be with Leon but she understood that they needed people to keep the blonde safe. "Shall we go to the safe room sir?"

"No let's wait, we might have to finish it off." Rufus said a slight hint of a smile.

"I despair." Elena mumbled. "He never learns."


	24. Chapter 24

Reno and Leon headed into the closed of area of the cells, it was dark and Tseng grumbled, it might as well have been set up by a twenty year old horror director. He pushed the buttons and the lights came on, Reno snorted, the boss was too practical, personally he thought it helped set the atmosphere and really if the idiot wanted to turn himself into one of things it wasn't an issue, they'd taken a ton of them out now.

"How bad can it be yo?" Reno muttered as they headed along. It seemed kind of bad if Tseng was sent in but the ones they had taken out had been mooks in his view.

"Depends what the type was that he injected himself with." Leon looked at him.

"Cut the talk let's do this." Tseng pulled his gun and kicked open the first cell door. Hojo wasn't where he should be, there was a huge gaping hole in the wall, the beast he'd made himself into had definitely got some very potent muscles now. "What usually happens Leon? I need to know."

"They mutate, grow in size, get faster and stronger. The seriously messed up things, like really up shit-creek style, they can take out buildings on their own." Leon explained.

"Well," Tseng changed the bullets in his gun, "better get this sorted out fast then."

The small group followed the trail of walls and bricks, Hojo had ripped through the walls and metal restraint bars like they were paper and Reno fell silent. He didn't fancy being at the receiving end of that punch, he was realistic though, it was usually him, he sighed. The lights flickered and he moved his hand back to his trusted EMR, he heard a movement to the right and motioned to his boss. Tseng moved them to the entrance of the huge double doors, he was suddenly wishing he'd got Rude and that hand-cannon from the RND section.

Hojo in the meantime was in the main holding pen, a large area designed to detain vast numbers of people, in the past it had been perfect for bringing in the rioters, rounding up WRO and generally quashing masses of troubles by shepherding them into riot vans etc and then letting them go and reminding them that the area was armed, they could just gun them down.

The once human form of the scientist had been lost in a myriad of bestial appendages, all designed for power and fight. The beast heard them coming almost instantly and turned it's head from the back of the holding pens. The memories that Hojo held were all of contempt towards the blue-suited bastards, failure to see his genius at work. They were the failures, all of them, pushing his work to the background as they sought through Rufus to improve their pathetic reputation. None of them deserved the chances they had, he was going to end it for them.

Reno spotted the movement but Leon had already levelled his pistol, he aimed for the forehead and shot. Tseng felt the air rushing past as the bullet landed on the temple of the beast and bounced off it's reinforced bone exterior; neither man had expected it and Leon let out a small growl of anger before looking swiftly for the possibility of a more vulnerable area. Reno on the other hand was looking around for any way to restrain it.

Leon opened fire a few more times as the hulking great monster ran at him full charge. Tseng pulled them both into another cell just in time as limbs scraped along the walls threatening to have brought flesh and sinew off his body. Leon gasps, the beast was impossible to bring down as they were currently armed. Hojo seemed to be more than aware of this as they shimmied under a variety of the rubble into another cell and watched him stalk down the opposite corridor.

"This is bad." Tseng muttered, he checked his pockets, his materia was mostly based on personal boosting. He lifted his sleeve, turning the personal communicator to Reno. "Where are you?"

"Watching freak-unique wander past me boss. Have you got any summons on you? All I got his pyramid and some boosts." He watched nervously as Hojo passed him.

"Okay," Tseng looked at Leon and then after a somewhat pregnant pause he moved to the cell bars. "I am guessing if we do this right, Leon and I can take him with brute force. Reno you need to prepare yourself to run up his back and try to get that EMR of yours to his temple or down his throat."

"Sure thing yo." The Turk sounded more confident than he was.

Leon was astounded, the lengths they all went to for the change to help their president protect things seemed unending. Rufus had a lot of charisma but he was just plain astonished by the people he had following him, all jokes aside they didn't mess around. What he had wished for, more than the suits, was Cloud nearby. It was at that moment everyone heard the shutters from the door and almost as though Leon's silent prayers had been heard the blond stepped in. What shocked them more was the very prominent figure of Genesis behind him.

"Seems," Genesis smirked running his hand along his sword, "that is is possible for Mako to take this virus on."

The ex-Soldier flew at Hojo with such speed and grace that the Raccoon City survivor was held watching in awe. The red-leather clad man skidded to his feet, one hand holding him as Cloud manoeuvred his way around to the back. Cloud flipped the Buster sword around his wrists, a second portion of it coming to his other hand and Genesis nodded, they needed to get this done and fast.

"Reno," Tseng ran over to the redhead, "get ready to heal them." Reno nodded and pulled out the trusted curing ball before slotting into his wrist band and getting into range. "Leon, whatever happens if one of them falls you need to help me to keep that thing contained in this area!"

"Sir." Leon nodded, he was used to working alone but he understood the value of teamwork in these situations.

Genesis leapt up at Hojo's newly transformed body, his sword deliberately turning to it's side, the red glowing blade sliding over it's shoulder and ripping into the muscle held underneath the strengthened hide. Cloud ran up the back of it's deformed hind legs, his first sword out for defence, the second running behind him slicing into the scientist with pure rage. He had helped bring Zack to his doom, nothing, nothing would earn Hojo forgiveness.

Genesis was caught by a gigantic hand, the leather coat creaked and Genesis twisted around in the grasp, his sword burying itself through his arm. Cloud's sword found it's way between the left shoulder blade and back, he used his own weight to drag it down, opening a violent wound that spurted blood out across the room.

Hojo threw Genesis, minus his sword, across the room and into the wall and Reno ran that way, enacting the curing materia and praying that Cloud would finish the job. Genesis stood up and moved the Turk aside, grabbing the second's EMR with a smirk. Reno patted his back, finished the heal and moved away again. This was their fight and Hojo had earned their anger. Genesis nodded at Cloud, the second half of the sword-duo he wielded was stabbed into the beasts right shoulder.

Leon ran under Genesis' outstretched arm, took the EMR and looked at Genesis, the first smirk they'd seen from the newcomer and it was in the middle of a fight? Already Genesis liked him. He moved back and carried on his attack from the front allowing Leon the chance to duck and roll under the hulking mass. The two fighters worked around as Hojo lashed out, he was not a fighter, he only had brute force on his side and when Leon appeared at the gaping maw of teeth he opened ready to consume.

Leon's finger was on the button, the EMR crackled into life and Reno rolled his eyes, either Rude's shade or his weaponry ended up taking the pounding every time. Leon's arm was grabbed in the beasts jaws and as it landed he went under the massive carcass, electricity flooded around it and Reno wondered what exactly he'd jammed it into.

"Get him out!" Tseng ran over and with the men's help they turned the beast over. Leon was on the floor, Tseng sighed. He was showing no signs of movement and with all that blood and gore it was impossible to tell if he was even alive...


	25. Chapter 25

"How long are you prepared to wait?" Ada looked over at Rufus, they moved towards the end of the corridor, he was pointedly ignoring the Turks trying to move him to a safer area.

"As long as it takes."

"That's a stupid answer." Elena grumbled. "What if they don't come out?"

"Elena, either they come out alive or they come out when we order a clean up. Either way they'll come out." Rufus rolled his eyes. "Anyway Cloud and Genesis are in there, if it all goes the wrong way they can summon."

"Yes that's sensible." Scoffed Rude. "As if you didn't have enough damages to deal with letting gods loose is the best idea."

"Your opinion has been noted, and ignored." The President smirked. "Okay seriously if they are not out soon we'll move. Five minutes?"

"Okay five minutes." Ada looked at the other two who nodded.

"Thank you..." Rufus went back to watching the door. "I need to know if they can get out, because Hojo's death is the thing I need if this virus does take me. I have to outlive that bastard if nothing else."

"You're not going anywhere, mores the pity." Cloud said with a slight smile to his lips. "Leon needs help."

Tseng and Genesis brought him through the hanger doors and Rude went over to take him, Rufus grabbed Elena's materia and threw it over. It wasn't like any of them were medically equipped to help him, Reno leant over and cast, the green glow surrounding all of them. To Ada's surprise Leon came around coughing and spluttering and sat up. Reno smiled, he rocked, bringing back the nearly dead was quite a good feeling.

"Did... did it work?" Leon spluttered.

"Yes it did." Cloud helped him to his feet and nodded to Ada. "We've finished him off, now Rufus will you let us shoot you with that damned antidote and started helping the affected areas?"

"Yes." Rufus nodded. "Elena, Rude, arrange clean up for the cells."

The Turks looked at each other, a silent groan passing around them, another lovely job to carry out. Genesis gave them a soft smile and Elena wanted to ask a million questions but the elbow from Rude stopped her short. Rufus headed with the rest, Reno and Tseng followed behind.

"I hate when we are left to do the dirty work without Reno and Tseng." Elena mumbled.

"They get paid more so invariably do less now." Rude quipped, it made Elena giggle and Tseng looked back. "Nothing sir..." Rude said bluntly and headed in with her.

Reno and Tseng opened the office and checked before letting Rufus in, Genesis waited outside with Cloud, there was no way he was giving the President any option to decide his fate without someone to back him up. Tifa came to join the blond and looked at him, he had been so prevalent in the past with what had happened that she wasted no time in getting more and more information from the ex-Solider.

Rufus sighed, he sat at the desk, he was breaking out in a cold sweat under his clothes but he didn't want to think about it. He had got the situation under control at least and avoided Tseng's eyes, the head of General Affairs was going to lay his cards on the table first chance he got. Leon went and collected the vial and loaded it into the syringe before passing the group outside and nodding to them.

"This better work." Rufus muttered before holding out his arm.

"Um it works better in your neck." Ada told him, she leant to move the stock and shirt for him, she watched as Rufus moved. He didn't even protest about the idea of being pulled around, poked, prodded and then when Leon injected there was just a slight wince. "Thank you President."

"Rufus is fine." He stood up. "I'm going to get some rest and wait for the clearance to be confirmed on those cells. If anything turns up just ring Reeve..." He headed off, it was natural instinct to whistle for the hound and when he did and remembered, he grumbled to himself and headed off to the penthouse.

It gave everyone a few hours to sort themselves out and Cloud handed Genesis the keys to their bar, he explained who to expect. Genesis smiled softly, he didn't want to be stuck with Shinra, despite his love of Soldier before the troubles going back there would likely remind him of all the things he had lost and he also wanted to know more about his old comrade, Sephiroth.

Rufus fell into the bed and closed his eyes, there was just too much going on all the time, he wasn't even given the luxury of someone to curl up to. He knew he made himself completely unavailable, perhaps that was because he felt no-one would understand, or simply that at times he found himself irritated by people too close.

It was later that evening when Rufus finally got up, showered and communicated with Tseng and Reeve. Reeve assured him Dark Nation was fine, told him he would have him out of quarantine within a few days. Cloud left a message to say that he was going away with Tifa, he didn't want to be bothered with anything unless it was about Genesis, who by the way was staying with them. Rufus smirked, Cloud giving him orders...

Rufus slid into the large sofa with a brandy and did a rare thing, put the television on, he watched as news tickets rolled across the bottom of the screens, channels declaring a mass zombie outbreak, Shinra covering it up. Rufus rolled his eyes, they were 24 hours too late. He heard the phone ring, idly picking it up as he drank, he considered taking the number off a woman from a dinner dance two weeks ago and calling her.

"Rufus? It's um, it's Leon. We've decided we're not too worried about going back to the US. We were just wondering... what's the pay like in General Affairs?"

"That rather depends on what you think you can offer..." A grin formed on the president's face. "So given what I have seen already... I think we can offer something enticing. I'll send Tseng over in the morning if you like?"

"It's okay Sir." Leon looked over at the blue suited Turk. "I'll ask him now, we're having a drink at the local bar, the Clocktower or something, looks a bit posh. Care to join us?" Rufus thought about declining and then shrugged, he'd escaped another face on collision with death, a night out sounded like a fitting end.


End file.
